Guardian
by Devicorn
Summary: Dark and light have always been bitterest enemies, fighting for dominance over all of Middle-earth. They guard themselves against one another, keeping their destruction at bay with protectors deemed worthy of such a task. You are one such guardian, Fenna, and what you do with the knowledge you hold can either keep the light safe…or cover the land in a shadow unlike any other.
1. Shadows

**Me: Hi guys! If you're coming here from my Bleach fanfic, then hello again . As you guys wanted me to (from your reviews the general consensus was yes, post this Hobbit fic) here it is!:D If you're someone who has come here from seeing this on the Hobbit page of this site, then welcome one and all! As you may or may not have guessed, this is a Hobbit fanfic centered around Thranduil and my OC Fenna Hughhard, and what happens when she's mysteriously bought into the world of Middle-earth for purposes that aren't all to clear at first.**

**Renji: *looks around in confusion* The hell am I doing here? I'm a character from Bleach, not The Hobbit!**

**Me: Yeah, well, Thranduil got all scary when I asked him to come do this with me, so i went with the option I knew was nicer and would work *hugs Renji* Now, a couple of things you need to know about this fic before we get started. 1) This is going to be a slowly developing romance between my OC and Thranduil - it doesn't even become possibly more than a close friendship until...well, that'd be a spoiler, so I'm not saying XD 2) This is set before the events of the Hobbit (about 3/4 years before them, can't remember which right now) and will run alongside it. 3) This is going to be sporadically updated; it may get updated two days running, and then seem to drop off the face of this website for a bit. This is because I'm concentrating (well, trying to) on my Bleach fanfic. Rest assured though, I will update this eventually XD**

**Renji:...I think my Captain and your friend over there are having a staring contest of sorts *points to where Byakuya and Thranduil are standing close to each other***

**Byakuya: *Staring up at Thranduil, obviously unimpressed*...**

**Thranduil:*Staring down at Byakuya, equally unimpressed*...**

**Me: Kehehe, I thought that would happen :D Now, on with the first chapter! XD**

**Disclaimer: I really wish I owned the Hobbit, but sadly, I only own this plot and my OCs**

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Shadows<span>

Popping my head around the door to the office, I searched the darkening room for any sign of my boss. As usual at this time in the evening, though, she wasn't there.

_I should have known; I've been working here for two years, after all, _I grumbled, shaking my head and retreating into the hallway. Sighing and resolving to go and find Marian once I had completed my checks of all the stables, I made my way down the shadowed hallway and out into the indoor stable yard.

Mistgrove stables had been here, tucked away in the quiet backstreets of Windemere, since before I'd been born all those nineteen years ago, and though it had undergone inevitable changes with the years in order to meet standards in 2014, not much else had altered. The horses were each treated with an individual love and affection that was rarely found in most modern riding stables, and the sleepy atmosphere that permeated the air soothed away my worries every time I entered through the somewhat broken metal gate that led to the yard.

The soft nickering of the twenty or so horses Mistgrove stables had in residence was like a gentle lullaby to my ears as I moved down the two columns each side of the wide central space, checking that each and every one of them would be comfortable for the night.

From the moment I'd been able to sit upon the back of a pony I had fallen in love with all things horse. Something about the way their eyes seemed to hold you, gaze into your soul and forgive even the darkest parts of you with little more than a sigh, had captured my attention and still, many years later, refused to let it go. I always loved being near the noble creatures, even if I was not high up on their backs and simply sat or stood watching them from afar as they gallivanted around the fields.

So when I had been offered a job at Mistgrove I had jumped at the chance to see the horses more often than my weekly riding lesson. Marian hadn't really needed another member of staff, she'd told me on my first day, but she'd always had the sense that I had a connection with horses not many others did – something that seemed to keep even the most irritable gelding or mare calm under my touch.

I smiled at the memory of the day I had gained my dream job; it was one that was rivaled only by the day I had truly been able to play my violin for the first time – another favourite pastime of mine. I stopped at the last stable, leaning in and gently clicking my tongue against my teeth. There was a shift in the shadows of the spacious stable, and then the head of my favourite horse butted against my shoulder.

"Hey, Aeolus, all ready for sleep?" I questioned as the four year old stallion whiffled at my hair, his intelligent eyes – one brown, the other a bright blue - glittering in the fading light of the evening sun filtering through the high windows. I grinned, scratching behind his soft ears as he lowered his head, nudging at me for treats.

"No, else you'll get fat, you greedy monkey," I admonished, smoothing a hand over his muscular neck and, as I often found myself doing, admiring his glossy coat. It was as light as the bleakest of winters, but in just the right light hints of thundery grey and snowy white rippled through the pale hide. His mane and tail were as black as the darkest of night, trailing like silken banners whenever he went for a good romp in the paddocks.

His name, though partly to do with his coat, derived entirely from Marian's first experience with him when he was just a leggy colt. Only three days after he'd been born he was dancing around the stable his mother was in like a yearling, a seemingly boundless energy thrumming through his long legs as he bounced around. When he had been old enough to go out into the fields with his mother, the first thing he had done was race around and around the open space, unerringly following the wind with lightning fast changes of direction that only occasionally caused him to fall over. As Marian was a bit of a fan of mythology, she had immediately named him after one of the gods of the wind, and from that moment on he was known as Aeolus. He'd quickly become a favourite of hers, and it was very rare that she allowed anyone to ride him but herself, owing to his capricious and often overenthusiastic nature; something that made me smile smugly every time I settled on to his sixteen hands high frame.

I ran my fingers through Aeolus's forelock, enjoying how the strands easily passed through my fingers. It seemed the stallion had actually managed to keep himself somewhat clean after I'd brushed him earlier today.

_Makes a change, _I snorted, remembering how, after finishing my ride on him and brushing him down nicely the other week, he had straight away gone to the floor and rolled around, grunting in pleasure as he destroyed my hour or so of hard work in seconds.

"Fenna?" came a familiar voice, interrupting my musings. Turning, Aeolus and I both watched as, after I had called out a response, Marian stepped into the covered stable yard. My mother was fond of names that had nice meanings, and so she had called me Fenna, or "guardian" as I was told it meant.

"My, you two are getting more and more alike each day, I swear," Marian laughed, her soft grey eyes darting between the stallion and I with amusement. I smiled in return, curling a hand underneath Aeolus's velvet muzzle and stroking it softly.

"Or you're just going crazy," I replied, though there was some truth to her statement. Not only were my eyes – brown around the iris but fading out to a brilliant blue towards the edge – similar to the horse's, but we both tended to become easily bored of things. Apart from riding, work, reading and my violin, nothing else had ever held my attention for longer than ten minutes before I had blanked out or otherwise shown my disinterest. Well, certain movie adaptions of my favourite books kept my interest, but that was it. Aeolus was just that same, and if we went over the exact same course of jumps more than twice, or raced around a trail we'd been down the day before, he would quickly become bored and attempt to do something more fun. Usually this ended up with me laughing as I clung on for dear life, but I didn't mind.

"Me, crazy? Never," the owner laughed, coming over and tousling my black hair, which at the moment was done up in a practical braid that came down to the middle of my back. I laughed along with her and Aeolus, smart horse that he was, lifted his upper lip and bobbed his head, appearing to say, "You know that you are_,_" with a hearty laugh.

After the laughter had died down, Marian jerked her thumb to her office and said, "I'm just going to go finish some last minute paperwork for the show tomorrow, then I'll drop you off back home…unless you want Mick to take you back?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Ahh, that'd be a definite no there," I answered, remembering the last time her husband and father of her two children had taken me back after a day at the yard. His never ending stories that weren't remotely funny had caused him to miss my turning several times and me to almost throw myself from the car in order to escape. Marian laughed again, a pleasant sound, before turning and heading to her office with a, "Alright, stay there and I'll be done in ten minutes. And yes, you can stay in Aeolus's stable for that time."

I swivelled around to face my favourite horse once more, quickly unlocking his door and slipping inside. I didn't bother doing up the bolt, as the stallion always seemed to prefer staying near me than escaping. Reaching up, I ran a hand along his muscular withers, smoothing down the hairs and dusting off any stray bits of hay. Aeolus whickered, snuffing at my pocket where I knew that he knew I had some sugar lumps stored. I stared at him and could almost see the pleading words in his eyes.

"Oh alight then, but only if you promise to behave during the show tomorrow!" I exclaimed, digging into my pocket and producing two sugar cubes that, as soon as they were spotted, were scarfed down as if Aeolus was a giant vacuum cleaner. _I suppose he is, now that I think about exactly _how _much he eats._

Nodding his head in seeming agreement that, yes, he would behave for me in the show tomorrow as long as he got more treats, he then lifted his head and rested it over my back, heaving out a contented sigh as he did so. Smiling, I wrapped my arms as far as they would go around his neck and closed my eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of hay and horse. Peace was all I felt in the soft twilight bathing the stables, tucked beneath my favourite stallion's neck as the warmth of contentment washed through me.

_I could die right now and, honestly, I wouldn't care one bit. Well, maybe I would care, as I'd never get to say goodbye to mum and dad and Aeolus and everyone else, but not as much as I would if- _my train of thought was cut off as, quite suddenly, I had the strangest sensation that I was being watched.

Blinking open my eyes, I ducked from beneath Aeolus, who snorted unhappily, and glanced around. At first I could see nothing but then, when I took a closer look at a particularly shadowed corner of the indoor arena, which I could see from where I was stood, the faintest outline of a figure could be discerned. The sounds of Marian and of her family in the house not two paces from the yard were strangely absent.

Frowning, I strained my eyes, trying to get a closer look at the figure, but no details made themselves known to me. I sighed, my ever present curiosity and cautious nature warring with themselves as I, poking my head over the stable door in an imitation of Aeolus, called out, "Marian?"

No-one answered, so I called out again, louder this time and directing my voice towards the owner's office. I'd always had a funny ability to project my voice further than I should have been able to, though that, and my reasonable talent with a violin, was about it for anything special about me.

"Marian, you still in your office?" Again, no-one answered, and by now I was starting to become more than a little worried. Marian never, under any circumstance, went without answering my calls unless the yard was full of noise, and even then she always somehow managed to hear me eventually. On a night as still as this she should have been able to hear me a mile off.

Nerves tingling in my stomach, I once more turned to glance at where the figure still stood, covered in shadows that, for some reason, did not seem naturally occurring.

_What should I do? Should I go and see if Mick and the boys are in the house and tell them I think someone's in the indoor arena? _I debated, worrying at my fingernails as I thought. Aeolus, sensing my growing apprehension at the lack of noise from both the house and the office, nudged my shoulder and whickered reassuringly. I reached up, finding some calm returned to me as my hand brushed down his muzzle, but there was still something niggling at me that, eventually, won over my cautiousness.

_I will take Aeolus with me for protection when I go and investigate the arena, and should Marian question why I have him out I can just say that he seemed a bit antsy in his stable…yeah, I'll do that. She's probably too engrossed in her work to hear me anyway, _I decided, my hands already reaching for the door to Aeolus's stable. With any other horse I would have put a head collar on them, but I trusted the stallion more than most people in much the same way he seemed to trust me, and so it was that, when I exited his stable and called for him to follow, he came quietly, used to being left to walk around without being led whenever I went to do anything with him.

Sticking close to his side as we made our way over to the large indoor arena, I kept my eyes fixed upon the shadowy figure in the far corner. It didn't move as I silently opened the gate, leaving it open behind Aeolus in case my worries turned out to be what I was expecting them to be; a trick of a tired mind late in the evening.

I placed a hand on Aeolus's side, taking comfort from his unwavering presence. He snorted, steps sure on the soft fibre of the arena as he trod towards the still not moving figure.

_If he is not frightened, then why should I be? After all, horses are one of the flightiest creatures in the world, and flee at the first sign of any perceived threat, _I reassured myself, my strides becoming more confident even though we were now only ten metres from the shadowed corner that held the source of my discomfort.

Coming to a halt before the figure, I suddenly noticed that, at what appeared to be 5'9 and of a slim build, it was exactly my height and shape. I shifted, unnerved by how it almost seemed to suck in any and all light near it, and turned my gaze to Aeolus to see what he thought of this strange apparition, only to find him staring at another figure that had suddenly appeared before him. I choked on my next breath, eyes going wide as I realised that it was shaped just like him. All horses were, of course, almost the same shape, but having been with Aeolus since he was two years old I knew his form better than most anyone. And I'd be damned if anyone told me that this second shadow was any other horse but him.

"What in the world _is _this?" I questioned softly, causing Aeolus to turn and gaze down at me. He seemed as mystified as I, and now I could sense him tensing under my palm, as if expecting something.

Turning back to my shadow-figure, I fought not to run back to Aeolus's stable and hide. Every instinct was screaming at me to spin about and do just that, but a part of me – the part that loved fantasy novels such as the Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, Eragon and the like – kept me in place. Biting my lip and knowing that my curiosity, despite how much trouble it usually got me into, would never be satisfied until I had seen exactly who or what this figure was, I slowly reached out a hand, fingers hesitantly extending. Out of the corner of my eye I could sense Aeolus stretching out his head and doing something similar to me towards his shadow, but just then my concentration was on the unwavering shadow-figure before me.

Fingers coming to s stop mere inches from the shadow, I took a deep breath. _Shadows can't hurt me, right?_

Boy was I wrong.

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><p><em>Next Time...<em>

Chapter 2: Not Just a Fairy-tale

As I stayed still, trying to rid myself of the dizziness that wrapped around me, I ran my eyes over this strange place I had suddenly found myself in. It was a forest, that much I could tell, but unlike any forest I had ever seen. The trees, though holding up full canopies high above me, were bare from there downwards, their trunks and limbs twisted and dark. Creeping plants like ivy strangled around them, but even they had dead qualities to them, as if something had swept through the forest and sapped almost all life from it. I could hear no birds or other creatures, and the silence was almost as stifling as the humidity.

_This _really _isn't Mistgrove, _I repeated, my heart rate climbing as I stayed close to Aeolus, who was just as confused as I was. He was glancing around, sniffing the air and scraping his hooves against the ground in a nervous way. _Now I really want to know what that shadow was…and where on earth it's taken me, because this forest is like nothing I've ever seen before, _I thought unhappily. No forest I had ever been in had felt so _old, _or foreboding.

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><p><strong>Me: Ok guys, so there you have it, the first chapter of Guardian! I know there was no Middle-earth in this chapter, but to be honest this is just a chapter to introduce my main characters and to set the scene...are they still at it?<strong>

**Renji: *Looks over and sees Byakuya and Thranduil continuing to stare at each other unblinkingly* Yup. I'm almost tempted to throw something at them to see what happens.**

**Me: Pfff, oh man that's ****_so _****tempting now that you mention it... Oh, before I forget; though Aeolus may seem a bit too intelligent, he's not. I know of several horses that are just like this - heck, one of them (a lovely gelding by the name of Curly (my favourite)) even knows me and wickers at me whenever I call his name (I go riding every Monday, and have been doing so for about 13 years). Anyway, thanks for reading, and make sure to let me know what you guys think! XD**


	2. Not Just a Fairy Tale

**Me: Yay for random update! IO forgot to mention this in my introduction of this story, but this is going to be a cross between the book and movie verse, so Thrandy will be slightly colder and more aloof than in the books, but not as much as in the movies.**

**Thranduil: ...What did you just call me?**

**Me: I called you Thrandy, silly *snickers* I thought Elves were supposed to have amazing hearing?**

**Thranduil:...Send me back to my world, now. I demand it *acts all imperious***

**Me: Eh, no can do. Just like Renji and Bya, you're here to stay, at least until I get bored of you.**

**Thranduil:...*turns to Byakuya* How do you put up with this mortal?**

**Byakuya: Ignoring her seems to work quite we-ooof!**

**Me: *sat on Byakuya, having just tackled him* No, ignoring me doesn't work at all!**

**Byakuya and Thranduil: -_-**

**Me: XD**

**Disclaimer: Nothing of money making ability here guys**

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Not Just a Fairy-tale<span>

A soft snuffling brushed over my face, dragging me from the depths of unconsciousness. _Oh god what the hell…ngh, why does my head hurt so much? _I groaned in my mind, eyes blinking blearily open.

The last thing I remembered was strange, ethereal voice holding more power than I could comprehend discussing what was to be done with me now that I had 'come through the split we prepared.' A strange half-light had bathed me as they spoke, then before I knew it they had come to a decision, though what exactly that decision had been I could not remember or had not heard, and I was being flung through blackness. A blackness similar to that which had enveloped me as soon as I had touched that shadow-figure…

Bolting upright, my eyes flew fully open. _What the hell happened? _I questioned as my vision slowly stopped spinning, revealing a very familiar muzzle right in front of me.

"Aeolus? Wh…what are you doing here?…Wherever here is, anyway," I managed to say, my voice croaky. The stallion bobbed his head, nudging me in what seemed to be relief. Raising a hand to his muzzle and stroking it, I slowly glanced around myself. I was sat upon an uneven path made from what appeared to be extremely worn stone. It was scattered with dirt and moss and dead leaves, a dank, cloying smell rising from the damp earth either side of it.

_O…k, this isn't Mistgrove…_I trailed off, worry creeping like a tendril of darkness into my mind. Aeolus dipped his head again, seeming to tell me to get up as he snorted into my hair. I sighed, closing my eyes and taking a few deep breaths before slowly hauling myself up, using the stallion to steady my suddenly shaky legs.

As I stayed still, trying to rid myself of the dizziness that wrapped around me, I ran my eyes over this strange place I suddenly found myself in. It was a forest, that much I could tell, but unlike any forest I had ever seen. The trees, though holding up full canopies high above me, were bare from there downwards, their trunks and limbs twisted and dark. Creeping plants like ivy strangled around them, but even they had dead qualities to them, as if something had swept through the forest and sapped almost all life from it. I could hear no birds or other creatures, and the silence was almost as stifling as the humidity.

_This _really _isn't Mistgrove, _I repeated, my heart rate climbing as I stayed close to Aeolus, who was just as confused as I was. He was glancing around, sniffing the air and scraping his hooves against the ground in a nervous way. _Now I really want to know what that shadow was…and where on earth it's taken me, because this forest is like nothing I've ever seen before, _I thought unhappily. No forest I had ever been in had felt so _old, _or foreboding.

"Aeolus, what d'you think I should do?" I questioned in a small, frightened voice, moving under his neck as I stared around me, every movement of a leaf causing me to jump. I was really in trouble now. Damn my curiosity!

The stallion whickered, head still tilted upwards towards the distant canopy.

"…You want me to go up there?" I asked him, more to hear the sound of _something _other than the silence than anything else. Aeolus neighed softly again, nudging me out from underneath his neck. "Ok, I…I suppose it's a good idea. I guess I can get my bearings and see if I can see any houses or cities nearby, and then we can figure out how we got here," I murmured, trepidation stirring in the pit of my stomach. The memory of the strange voices hung at the back of my mind, and I couldn't shake the feeling that they were more than just an odd dream, but I ignored it for now and instead headed for the nearest tree.

"Stay there, sweetheart; I'll be right back," I said in a soft voice to the stallion, who bobbed his head several times before going back to watching the surroundings, before beginning a slow climb to the top. It wasn't hard going, as the tree had plenty of branches for me to cling to, but by the time I was just about to push through the canopy I was panting slightly.

_This better be worth it, _I grunted, hauling myself through the leaves and sticking my head up into fresh, cool air. The first thing I noticed was the evening sunlight splaying fingers through the air. _This is earlier than I remember it being…I must have been out for nearly a day…Marian's gonna be getting worried, _I thought, biting my lip as I realised just how late it was from the position of the sun.

The second thing I noticed as I scanned the land behind me was that the forest appeared to go on forever, stretching further back than my eye could see. I ran through my very small list of knowledge about forests near where I lived, and was more than a little troubled to find that none that I knew of were this large. Had I been moved out of the country whilst unconscious? If so, how the heck had they managed to transport Aeolus – whoever they were that had taken me and the stallion – and why had they just left us in this god-forsaken place?

The third and final thing I noticed, as I ran my gaze over the rolling, tree covered land either side of me and then to the front, was a large mountain in the distance. Larger than any I had ever seen even at what I presumed was a great distance, it towered into the air, disappearing through the clouds that patched the mid-autumn sky. A shimmer far from its base indicated a large body of water, but some part of me knew that it wasn't one of the Lakes near my home.

_No mountains are near Windemere…none like that, _I thought, my worry and fright growing with every passing second. If there were no mountains like that near my home, then why in the name of Merlin's saggy Y fronts did it look so damned familiar? I stared harder at it and the shimmer of water, finding I was barely able to make out what appeared to be a town sat in the middle of a lake.

"A lake town?" I questioned. And then, like a bolt of lightning, I realised where I was. Everything ceased to exist for a moment, everything but the mountain and the town in the middle of the lake. Then I laughed, softly at first but growing in volume until it was full on hysterical and I was in danger of falling from the tree I was in.

_Oh, I'm so stupid! _I chortled, wiping tears from my eyes. _How can I be in Middle-earth when it only exists in a story? Oh man, this is too funny! _I carried on laughing for a good while, my gaze returning to the mountain that, had I _really _been in Middle-earth, would be called Erebor. As I stared at it, and as I became aware of how real my surroundings were, my mirth slowly evaporated, like a spring mist.

_How can I be in Middle-earth…_I questioned once more, no longer laughing as my gaze roamed once more across the landscape but being pulled back by the shear majesty of the mountain where, if it were real, the dragon Smaug resided, or had resided depending on whether I was here before or after-

I cut myself off, shaking my head. It would not do to allow my mind to wander in an unfamiliar place. I instead had to concentrate on getting back home, and the only way I could think of being able to do that was to follow the path in the direction of the nearest town, which was the one in the middle of the lake. _Maybe they'll have a phone or something so I can call Marian or mum or dad…MY PHONE! _I suddenly thought, my hands scrabbling at the pocket of my jodhpurs where I always kept my mobile when at the stables.

For some unknown reason, though, it was no longer there, though the sugar cubes in my other pocket were. _Ok, it's ok, well go find a phone in the next village or town or whatever it is, _I reassured myself despite my hands and lip beginning to tremble. It's not like I was stuck in a universe from a story or anything…was I?

Clambering hastily down from the treetop and back to the ground, I was immensely glad to see Aeolus waiting for me still, his ears perking forwards when I called his name.

"Hey bud, were gonna have to follow the path for a while," I murmured, stroking his side and fighting back the ever growing tide of anxiety inside me. This was _not _the time to lose it, especially since it would take a good few days to reach the lake-town at least, if not a week. The stallion nickered in my ear, snuffing at me and soothing me somewhat. Still, though, there was that sense of unease and that strange, blind memory of the voices that was putting me on edge.

Pulling an expression of determination on to my face I, making sure that my riding boots were still comfortable and that my long shirt was free from dirt, started forwards down the path, careful to not stray from its worn stones despite the fact that this was in no way Mirkwood. You could never be too careful in strange places. Aeolus walked behind me, his warm breath brushing my neck as I followed the twists and turns.

As I walked, staying close to the stallion, I felt my mind begin to wander, and so wound a hand into Aeolus's mane so as not to lose myself. He wouldn't lead me astray or towards danger, of that I was sure.

_What….what if this _is _Middle-earth…just think for a minute as if this is Middle-earth, _I told myself, eyes roaming our surroundings as my nails once more came to my mouth, a bad habit that always surfaced when I was nervous.

_If this place _was _Middle-earth, then I'd be in a whole steaming pile of crap so deep I don't know if I'd be able to ever find my way out. For starters I'd have no idea _when _I was – if I was in Middle-earth during the time of _The Hobbit _or _The Lord of The Rings _then it'd be an even deeper pile of do-do I was in – and I'd also have no idea what to do. For all I know my very presence could mess up the entire storyline in a way that'd result in Sauron destroying everything and everyone I've read about and loved….I guess, though, I'd have to figure out _how _I came to be here…if I actually survived that long, that is. _My nail biting continued, my feet still reassuringly on the path.

_Heck, I'd have to be careful what I said, as I_ _could mess up the storyline simply by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person…damn I am so glad I'm not in that universe, _I sighed, coming out of my thoughts to find that Aeolus and I had travelled a fair distance. I swallowed, slightly thirsty, and it was then that I realised I had no water or food or anything other than the clothes on my back.

_I can find water in the forest…and as for food…I don't think my hunting skills are good at all, but if I have to I'll give it a shot…Aeolus can just graze and get water when I do._

As I began to return to my musings I spotted, in the distance, a stream or river that crossed the path. Eager to take a drink before my thirst became too strong, and hoping that Aeolus would find the water to his liking, I hurried forwards, forgetting for a moment my fright and that I had to be even more cautious than normal in this unfamiliar place.

Skidding to a stop before the sluggishly flowing water, I was about to kneel down and dip my hands into it when all of a sudden I was hauled back violently.

"Aieee!" I squeaked, swatting at my attacker before sheepishly realising it was Aeolus, his teeth clamped around the collar of my shirt.

"Hey, silly thing, let me go. I only want a drink, and I'm sure you do to!" I said, feeling slightly more cheerful now that we'd found water. Aeolus, though was not. Instead of letting me go he dragged me further back from the river before letting me go.

_What…man, is _everything _going wacko on me today? _I huffed in exasperation, standing and walking purposefully towards the water. Instantly Aeolus had pranced in front of me, tossing his head high and rolling his eyes at me.

"What!? What do you want?" I questioned, trying and failing to step around him. The stallion snorted, throwing his head towards the water and pawing the ground as he sometimes did when scared or annoyed before glancing back at me and repeating the process several times.

"You don't want me to go near the river?" I asked at last, and Aeolus bobbed his head in what, though coming from a horse, was unmistakably an agreement with what I had said.

"Why? Is it too dirty for me?...Ack, listen to me, arguing with a horse," I muttered, glancing suspiciously around me to see if anything was listening to my absurd ramblings. Even after being in here for less than an hour this place, the atmosphere, was starting to get to me. Turning my gaze back to Aeolus and finding him standing exactly where he had been and refusing to budge still, I threw up my hands.

"Well then how the hell do you suggest we survive this place, huh? There's no other water source like this for miles around, and frankly I'm willing to risk a little bit of dirt if it means I get a drink."

A whinny and snort were all the response I got, and so, grumbling, I was forced to forgo the drink and instead contemplate how we were going to cross the river without touching it – for that seemed to be the thing that Aeolus was getting his tail in a twist about.

"…You think you can jump it?" I questioned after a moment, my fear as to where I was all but forgotten as I mulled over the problem before me. Aeolus dipped his head, nudging my side before turning about and trotting away a distance. He turned around and watched me, as if waiting for me to do something. I took this as a yes to my question, though why I had asked a horse I would never know, and made my way over to him, vaulting up on to his back as I had been taught.

With an oof as air rushed out of me from the impact, I swung my leg over Aeolus's rump and shuffled into a sitting position. I'd never before ridden him bareback or without a bridle, so being up there without both was slightly scary to say the least, especially with the prospect of a large jump in the future.

"Well, I guess I'm ready when you are, Aeolus," I sighed, winding my hands through his long mane and gripping his sides with my knees. The stallion pawed the earth once more before starting forwards at a trot that quickly accelerated into a near gallop. Clattering along the path on his shoeless hooves – Marian was a firm believer in the natural approach to anything horse – he then gathered himself up before lunging over the river. I felt myself dip forwards as instinct took over, pushing me into the familiar jumping position as we sailed over the admittedly black and filthy looking water.

With a muffled thump we landed, cantering forwards for a few strides before slowing to a trot and then a walk. I slipped slightly and almost tumbled from Aeolus's back, but managed to right myself at the last minute.

"And the first and only clear round in this competition goes to Fenna Hughard and her stallion Aeolus," I commented with a light laugh, patting said stallion's neck as he continued forwards at a walk, not seeming to mind that I was riding him. As I settled into the gentle rocking motion that accompanied being up on horseback, my mind turned back to the river.

_There _was_ an enchanted river in The Hobbit that, if you fell into it, caused you to lose your memory after falling into a deep sleep, one that was in this forest – err, I mean, Mirkwood, _I corrected. Man, this place really did have an uncanny resemblance to that forest, from what I'd seen of it in The Desolation of Smaug and read of it in the actual book.

Aeolus, happily plodding along the path, stopped suddenly, almost throwing me over his neck as he went rigid. "You hear something, Aeolus?" I questioned, my fear coming back in a rush. I strained my ears to the limit, and after a moment became aware of a faint but growing clicking, as if from a giant insect. Aeolus snorted, sidestepping, and before I knew it we'd take off, racing into the forest without so much as a backwards glance.

"THE PATH! AEOLUS, THE PATH!" I exclaimed, but it fell on pinned back ears as the stallion galloped underneath me, bounding nimbly through the growing gloom of the forest and away from whatever had been making those noises. I felt a panicked sob clawing at my throat but refused to let it out, instead focusing on staying on Aeolus's back. I could _not_ lose it now; I had to get to that town and get a phone so that I could get away from whatever had frightened the stallion, away from the cloying grasp of this forest.

After what felt like hours we stopped on the top of a strangely bare hillock that had, I noticed, been used some time in the past for a fire. Perhaps someone from the lake-town had decided to go camping, although why they would voluntarily do that in a place like this was beyond me.

Taking deep breaths and patting Aeolus's sweaty neck, I slid from his back and hit the ground with a thud that seemed to echo for miles around.

"I guess we'd better stay here for the night rather than wandering through the forest in the dark…who knows what's lurking out there. We can find the path again in the morning," I murmured, running a hand down each of the stallion's legs to make sure he was alright after that rather headless run. After confirming that he had not damaged his legs or any other part of him, I glanced at the place where the fire had been before shrugging and slowly heading for the fringe of trees. If I was going to have to spend a night in this unknown place I was so not going to do it without some form of defence other than Aeolus's hooves.

About a half hour passed before I had gathered enough dead wood for the fire. Aeolus had wandered down with me, sniffing at the grass and munching on some of it occasionally. At least he was getting some food – more than could be said for me. My stomach grumbled; it was well past dinner time for me, though strangely I wasn't hungry enough to indicate that I'd been out for over a day. Perhaps the time zone was different wherever I was.

Sighing, I set about making a fire the way my dad had taught me on our last camping trip in the hills. It took several attempts and many curse words but finally, with Aeolus curling up behind me and watching with interest, I managed to get a small spark to stick to the extremely dry wood. Hopefully there would be no smoke, as that would be a dead giveaway even before any creature saw the dull orange glow in the depths of the night.

Feeding the flames until their hunger bought them to a nice healthy glow, I settled back against Aeolus as the evening wore on, bringing with it a chill that the day had not. Stars, completely alien to me yet still beautiful to watch, began appearing in the dusky twilight, but they did nothing to alleviate my growing unease. I didn't know where I was, didn't know what was out there and, most importantly, didn't know how I'd got here. The only plausible explanation was that Aeolus and I had been drugged, kidnapped and then dumped, but why the heck would anyone want _me? _Or a stallion, for that matter. My family was a quiet one, and had never done anything to ever hurt anyone, and we weren't all that well off – living off of the land for half of our food and other sustenance's.

With all these thoughts whirling in my head I closed my eyes, sighed, and tried to get some rest in this strange land full of strange sounds and sights.

* * *

><p>You really think that she can keep everything from going awry without revealing too much of what she knows? She is, after all, a mere mortal, <em>questioned a deep male voice, and I could hear several other beings, both male and female, sounding their agreement. It was strange, though, for my sight was black and my hearing was somewhat muffled, as though I was listening to the conversation from a great distance.<em>

I am not one to question ….'s judgement, only one to follow it to the best of my abilities, _came another male voice, seeming to hold the faintest traces of wing beats. Whoever's judgement they were talking about had no name to me, for at the moment it would have been uttered my hearing filled with a buzz._

Then we will not question it either, _a soft female voice, filled with light and warmth, said, and before I could do anything I felt myself being pulled in another direction, another dream, far away from what I had the strangest sensation was actually real…_

* * *

><p>I didn't know what or who it was that woke me, but a primal instinct tugged me from my latest dream – not one, this time, filled with voices – and deposited me back into the real world. Sleepily I opened my eyes, finding my face pressed close to Aeolus's withers. I frowned – why would I be with Aeolus when I was at home? – before remembering what had, or had not, happened. I squashed the pang of fear that rippled through me before turning my head slightly, finding that it was still dark. The stars were out in full force now, scattered like silver droplets over a midnight canvas. One star in particular caught my eye. It was like the North Star but much, much brighter and so much more beautiful; it shimmered with thousands of colours that faded to gold and silver at the outer edges.<p>

Thirst was now raging through my throat, demanding my attention, but I tried to ignore it as best I could.

Beneath me Aeolus tensed, causing me to still my breath and search the night with my ears. I didn't move, not wanting to draw any attention to myself if it was a creature of dangerous size, but I couldn't hear anything save the soft crackling of the dying fire.

As the seconds passed and nothing lunged out of the shadows towards me, I sighed before slowly sitting up and stretching. I was slightly sore from the hard ride yesterday, but nothing that a good walk about wouldn't solve in a few minutes. Covering my mouth whilst still being careful not to make too much noise or movement, I leant forwards and began feeding the fire with wood until it was once more dancing merrily.

Staring deep into the flames, I curled my legs to my chest and hugged them, wondering once more exactly how I had come to wherever I was. Not even the being drugged scenario made sense anymore, and the strange not-so-dreamy-dreams I'd had of the voices threw yet another spanner in the works, so to speak.

I flicked away a stray ember, wishing desperately that I had my well-thumbed copies of The Hobbit or Green Rider with me. Life without books or stories was, though nice, just a little bit more boring. Heaving another sigh and turning to Aeolus, I was about to keep my idle fingers busy by plaiting his mane when I froze. There, just at the edge of the firelight, stood three figures. Tall and full of an unearthly grace even when standing still, their dark auburn locks caught the flickering light of the flames like fire themselves, trailing about their heads and down to their elbows easily.

Aeolus and I stopped any movements we'd been making, our eyes fixed upon the three figures that I hadn't heard at all as they snuck up on me. Eyes, tilted at the edges, glimmered in forest green and two different shades of brown from what I could see, though I could not be sure as they were too far away from the true light of my fire to see anything clearly about them, save that they were garbed in clothing that blended well with the land and appeared to have weapons on their persons.

"Ya naa lle?" came a soft, melodic song of what I presumed to be complete nonsense from behind me. Whipping around in fright, I found myself staring at another two figures, this time one with black hair and the other with pale gold hair, standing there. The one with the ebony locks had drawn a beautiful longbow and had knocked an arrow in my direction, suspicion written across his beyond fair features. Up close I could discern more details as to what they and, presumably, their companions looked like, though with a heart beating as fast as mine was I was surprised that I wasn't hyperventilating.

Their eyes were indeed tilted slightly upwards at the edges, and so bright were their colours it was unnerving to look directly at them. Their frames were lithe and sleek like a panthers, and I could sense an underlying power that seemed to hum through them and the air around them. They-

"Ya naa lle?" the gold haired one repeated, more forcefully this time but still with the same melody-infused words. I flinched back against a tense Aeolus, and as I did so I spotted a feature of these people that stopped every thought process in its tracks. Their ears, where mine were smooth and rounded at the tops, tapered up into points that I instinctively recognised. Couple those with the strange words being spoken in a way that told me this singing language was their mother tongue bought me to one conclusion, and one conclusion only.

They were Elves.

My breathing quickened, and my eyes went wide. The ebony haired elf, seeming to grow tired of my silence, muttered a strand of what could only be elvish to his companion, who shook his head and knelt down before me, but I was too preoccupied with the implications of my discovery to worry about what they had said. If they were Elves, and we were in a forest half dead with decay, one that bordered a lake-town and a behemoth of a mountain that I recognised, then I could only believe one thing.

I was in Middle-earth, smack bang in the heart of the most dangerous forest there was.

_Oh…oh dear, _was all I managed to think before promptly bursting into tears.

* * *

><p><em>Next Time...<em>

Chapter 3: A Purpose Of Sorts

"As for what you will do now, I suggest that you come with myself and my companions, as Mirkwood is not safe." I heard the unspoken words of, _for the likes of you, _tagged along at the end, though I couldn't help but feel they would not have been said maliciously had they been voiced.

"Where…where to?" I questioned, clearing my throat of the sudden lump that had formed there. Right now, I didn't want to be going anywhere but home, but, much as it was painful and grieving to say, that was looking less and less likely by the second.

"To the halls of my King Thranduil of Mirkwood," he answered, and I baulked. I'd read and seen what Thranduil could be like in the books and movies. Cold and unyielding, he never took kindly to strangers roaming his domain. These Elves seemed kindly enough, but their loyalty to their King was unbending, and I knew that they would kill me without hesitation should Thranduil order it.

_Nope, nope, not gonna judge him until I see him. Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts of sassy Thranduil sat on his swag stag/elk wearing party glasses and completely drunk…hehe, _I chortled quietly, earing confused glances from the Elves.

* * *

><p><strong>Thranduil: I'm not even in this tale yet, so I do not see why I should be here.<strong>

**Me: Because I say so, silly.**

**Thranduil: I am a King of a race far greater than yours, human, so speak to me with some respect.**

**Me: Nah, I'm good :P**

**Thranduil: *gives me a rather angry look***

**Me: Awww, don't go pouting on me Thrandy. You'll get used to me, just as Renji here has *hugs Renji***

**Renji: ...No, I haven't.**

**Thranduil: See?**

**Me: Renji, you're supposed to agree with me!**

**Renji: *Pats my head affectionately* Where's the fun in that? XD **


	3. A Purpose Of Sorts

**Me: Just seen the new Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies trailer, and I am so damn excited I think I might explode *flails wildly* God freaking damn it Peter Jackson you tease! And also...I WENT TO SEE DARLIA AND GERARD WAY (seperate artists) PLAY IN OXFORD LAST NIGHT! I've loved Gerard from the moment I heard My Chemical Romance (who sadly split up in March 2013 T_T) and was so freaking happy to get tickets to see him and the amazing support act of Darlia (check them out, they're damned good) yesterday. Me and my friend managed to get into the queue early enough so that when we went into the venue we were 3 rows of people from the front and had some amazing close up views of Darlia and Gerard. Best. Night. EVER! *does happy dance* ****  
><strong>

**Thranduil: Ugh, why is it that I am stuck with you? *pours out a rather large glass of the wine his halls are famous for***

**Me: Because Bya and Renji are having a day off...and because you need to learn to be nicer, and what better way to do that than to help me do the A/N? *goes around exploring Thranduil's study, which is where we're doing the A/N from today* OMG your bed is HUUUGE!**

**Thranduil: *takes a giant swig of the wine* May the Valar have mercy on me -_-**

**Disclaimer: Thranduil, bless his pointy little crown, is not mine, and nor are the characters aside from my OC's**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3: A Purpose of Sorts<span>

I sat there, numb and exhausted, as the Elves around me watched warily whilst muttering lyrically amongst themselves. My outburst of anguish had taken them completely by surprise, bringing the three behind me into the circle of firelight whilst the two before me took a step back, the one who'd been kneeling rising from his crouch. Evidently they were surprised enough not to shoot me, as I had presumed they would. I'd clung to Aeolus, who had whiffled at my dark hair, until every clashing emotion had been drained from me, leaving me to hollowly sit back and wipe my eyes and nose on the sleeve of my now soaked shirt.

The Elves had been silent, watching my every move as I curled back against Aeolus and stared at them with the faintest of awe. Still, though these people were undeniably beautiful, even from the little I'd seen of them, they were strangers to me, and as far as I was concerned, strangers equalled enemies in Middle-earth. Heck, _everything _was an enemy until proven otherwise in this unforgiving land.

Suddenly I became aware of the golden haired one kneeling down before me again. He was not the famous Legolas, of that I was sure. _If _I was truly, irrevocably in Middle-earth, which I _still _wasn't sure I was. Sure, the pointed ears and lilting speech – Sindarin or Silvan I couldn't tell – of the Elves was a big hint, but I was someone who would not believe something unless complete and utter proof was given to me.

"Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie?" he questioned, blue eyes searching mine. His expression was solemn, though I thought I could see the faintest hint of worry hidden in the depths of his fair features. I gazed uncomprehendingly up at him, shrinking back against Aeolus, who was my only familiar face in this place, as I shook my head. The Elf sighed, paused to think for a moment, and then murmured, "Do you understand Westron?" with only the faintest hint of an accent.

_Finally, some words I can comprehend, _I thought tiredly, _though it is English, and not Westron….or is it? Bah!_

"Yes, I appear to," I replied quietly. A genuine smile pulled at the corners of the elf's lips, one that was faintly mirrored by his companions. Still, though hints of worry and suspicion could be detected in their expressions.

"That is good. My name is Arnos, and my companions are Elbeth, Iomar, Uidor and Lainos." He indicated the three auburn haired Elves, then the ebony haired one in turn, who nodded when their name was mentioned, before turning expectant eyes back to me.

"I'm Fenna Hughard, and this is Aeolus…please, where am I?" I questioned, desperation making my voice crack. _Please, please don't confirm my worst fears. Just tell me this is all a bad joke, and that I am-_

"Fenna Hughard…Aeolus" Arnos repeated, rolling the names over in his wonderful voice so that they sounded like a song, the e and the u's elongated into rivers of sound. "That is a strange name. As strange as your clothes….do you not know where you are?"

I shook my head, my hand tightening in Aeolus's mane. Arnos frowned minutely.

"You are in Middle-earth, deep in the heart of what was once called Greenwood but is now called Mirkwo-" I swore profusely, using every bad word I knew and spitting them out with as much frightened venom as I could muster. Arnos watched, bemused at my display, as crushed my head into my hands and muttered another string of curses before falling silent.

"You curse as if you were a sailor of Lake-Town," he said with a hint of amusement, causing me to snort shakily and lift my head. Turning to Aeolus and ignoring the five Elves for the moment, I sighed.

"I've really gone and done it this time, haven't I…if this isn't a dream?" I questioned, sudden hope flaring and then dying within me almost instantly. This was no dream. Biting my tongue to prevent more tears of the homesickness that had already set in, I leant my forehead against his and sighed, "The hell am I supposed to do now?" He nickered, shifting his head so that his nose was over the pocket of my jodhpurs that held the sugar cubes. Feeling a small smile worm through my other frantic emotions, I took a deep breath and fished around for two of the treats.

"That one's for me, greedy," I laughed softly, some faint sense of normalcy returning to me returning to me with that one phrase as Aeolus tried to snaffle up both of them. He seemed to pout, but happily crunched up the one I had given to him anyway.

Popping the sweet cube into my mouth, I patted his neck affectionately before turning my eyes back to Arnos, not a little dazzled by his now increasingly apparent beauty. At least Middle-earth had _that _going for it, if nothing else.

He was watching Aeolus with an inquisitive expression upon his elegant features. After a pause of another few moments he slowly held out a hand to the stallion and murmured a lullaby of phrases in elvish. Aeolus regarded him curiously with his odd eyes, stretching out his head and placing his muzzle in the elf's proffered hand. Seconds passed in which Arnos and his companions simply watched the stallion.

"…He likes you, whoever you are," the elf finally commented, hand brushing over Aeolus's muzzle once before being withdrawn. "As for what you will do now, I suggest that you come with myself and my companions, as Mirkwood is not safe." I heard the unspoken words of, _for the likes of you, _tagged along at the end, though I couldn't help but feel they would not have been said maliciously had they been voiced.

"Where…where to?" I questioned, clearing my throat of the sudden lump that had formed there. Right now, I didn't want to be going anywhere but home, but, much as it was painful and grieving to say, that was looking less and less likely by the second.

"To the halls of my King Thranduil of Mirkwood," he answered, and I baulked. I'd read and seen what Thranduil could be like in the books and movies. Cold and unyielding, he never took kindly to strangers roaming his domain. These Elves seemed kindly enough, but their loyalty to their King was unbending, and I knew that they would kill me without hesitation should Thranduil order it.

_Nope, nope, not gonna judge him until I see him. Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts of sassy Thranduil sat on his swag stag/elk wearing party glasses and completely drunk…hehe, _I chortled quietly, earing confused glances from the Elves.

My homesickness somehow alleviated by these memories, I sighed, stood, stretched and spoke.

"I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter," I sighed, my natural cautiousness when it came to new places and people all but gone now that I knew where I was. Aeolus, sensing that we were about to move, stood and shook himself.

"Not really, no," commented the ebony haired elf, Lainos possibly. His Westron/English was heavily accented, though still more than pleasant to listen to. He had a serious air about him, and smiled the least.

"...Before we go to…to your King's halls, I need to ask two things."

"Please, do," Arnos said with an elegant flick of his wrist.

"Firstly, what year is it?" I questioned, almost adding, _in this world, _before stopping myself. It would not do to have them think me anymore strange than they already did.

"It is the year 2938 of the Third Age…did you fall in the enchanted river?" I shook my head absentmindedly at the question. _So it is a little under three years before the events of The Hobbit take place…useful. _Shaking myself from my thoughts and, for the first time, realising that all five of the Elves were 6' of taller, I asked my second question.

"Secondly, do you have any water that I and Aeolus can have? We've not had anything to drink for a while," I asked, the thirst that had been niggling at the back of my mind coming once more to the forefront. Arnos nodded.

"Yes, there is a small pool nearby that has not been affected by the forests decay. We will take you to it." So saying, he then switched to elvish, giving a command to the ebony haired elf that sent him over to the fire, which he promptly doused. I blinked, dazed by the sudden darkness, but once my eyes adjusted I was able to pick out thousands upon thousands of stars. The Elves, I knew, would be able to see even more.

"It is beautiful night," commented Arnos as he, too, gazed up at the stars before beckoning me. "Come, it is not far."

Nodding and calling for Aeolus to follow, then started after the band of Elves, who had split so that there were two in front and three behind me. I placed a palm against the stallion's side, both to keep myself steady and to reassure myself that the last link to my home was still there.

_Wow, these guys really _do _move as if dancing on the air, _I thought with not a little envy as I watched one of the auburn haired elf, Uidor at a guess, glide ahead, scouting for any dangers that had somehow eluded his keen hearing. Shaking my head in disbelief and mild unhappiness that I was where I was, I concentrated on not falling flat on my face, as it was quite dark without the light of the fire.

"Here," Arnos murmured a few minutes later, indicating a patch of darkness reflecting the scant starlight that darted through the canopy. Smiling my thanks to him – he would be able to see it – I then happily bent down and, using my hands, scooped mouthfuls of water to my lips. Aeolus greedily stuck in his nose and sucked up the liquid, as parched as I was by the sound of it.

As I drank I could hear the soft murmur of the group of Elves next to me, bit ignored it. I couldn't understand it, so what was the point in listening in on their conversation? _I wish I could understand it, though, _I mused, _then I could impress everyone back home with my fluency…if I ever get back home, that is. _I sighed, brushing away the water lingering at the corners of my mouth and standing. Aeolus took one long, last gulp before lifting his muzzle and sniffing at me.  
>"Hey hey hey!" I exclaimed he dribbled water over my jodhpurs and shirt, swatting at him. Aeolus lifted his top lip in what I <em>knew <em>to be a mischievous grin, and I shook my head at his antics.

"Fenna?" came Arnos's voice, and I sighed, having for a moment forgotten where I was.

"Yes?"

"I think it would be wise if you were to change from your…garments into these ones, as we will be travelling for a while before we reach King Thranduil's halls," he said, and in his arms I saw a bundle of clothes with a pair of soft yet practical shoes sat on top of them. I paused, my fingers unconsciously taking a hold of my jodhpurs. No. Ah ah. No _way _was I going to relinquish my clothing. For all I knew I'd never get it back, and would have one less reminder of my world in this unforgiving place. Arnos, sensing my growing distress, spoke gently.

"If you so wish, I can leave these clothes here, where these spare ones came from, and can fetch them after we have taken you to King Thranduil?" My apprehension lessened somewhat, but it did not die. Instead it settled in with the rest of my still tumultuous emotions that threatened to spill over at any moment, waiting for a moment of weakness from me.

"I…I suppose that would be sensible," I muttered, taking the offered clothes after a few moments more of hesitation. Arnos, smiled, and then, along with the three other males and one female, turned his back to give me privacy to change. Their conversation started up again, sounding like the sighing of wind over a stream.

Clenching my hands once or twice, I then sighed, shrugged and stepped behind the nearest tree. Though they had all turned their backs, I still felt self-conscious about changing in front of them, as any sane person would.

"C'mere Aeolus, you can have the last of the sugar cubes before we get going," I murmured, fishing around in my pocket for the lump of sweetness that Aeolus promptly snatched up and crunched before turning and wandering over to Arnos, who reached a hand over his shoulder to pet the stallion on the muzzle. Smiling slightly, I then set about getting out of my normal clothes and into the elvish ones. The leggings, undershirt and tunic were made from soft yet surprisingly warm silk, and were coloured, from what I could tell, the green and brown of a forest. The boots were light yet durable, and felt well-worn and comfortable on my slim feet.

Gently folding my other clothes and taking a hold of my nice riding boots, I then stepped from behind the tree, feeling all the more homesick as I tapped Arnos on the shoulder and presented them to him. He took them in his hands, almost seeming to flinch when the fabric touched his skin. I smiled wanly. _They've never seen anything like my clothes, both material and style of making wise. I wonder what they thought upon seeing me for the first time?_

"I will make sure that they are kept safe for you," the elf reassured as my fingers lingered over the familiar material. I brushed off a speck of dust from the long top I had just been wearing before forcing myself to step back and lean against Aeolus, lest I get overprotective over the clothes.

Nimbly scaling a nearby tree, Arnos paused at the top as he presumably tucked away my clothes before climbing back down the gnarled trunk like a falling raindrop – swift and captivating to watch.

"I suggest you ride your stallion for the remainder of our travels; he can see better than you in the darkness, and will make our journey quicker," Iomar proposed, his Westron/English/whatever the hell it was holding more of an accent that Arnos's, but less than Lainos's. He appeared to be the oldest in the group, though the only way I could tell this was by looking at his stormy grey eyes. They held more memories, more years, than the others unnervingly bright eyes did. I glanced at Arnos who, it was easy to guess, was the leader of this small guard group. He nodded that I should do as Iomar suggested, though he did say, "Do not think of running, though, as we would not want to hurt you."

"You think I'd do something as stupid as that? I'd rather go back and face the creatures living here with no weapons than have Aeolus trip and break a leg, or worse!" I said, affronted, before turning to the stallion and questioning, "You up for carrying me around for a while, Aeolus?" as I stroked his soft face. He whickered, butting his head into my chest. I smiled slightly.

"Well, stand still so I can get on then," I said, moving to his side and placing my hands upon his back. He obliged, waiting until I was settled before shifting and following Arnos and Lainos, who had already set off ahead.

"How long will it take to get to…King Thranduil's halls?" I asked, so used to calling the Mirkwood King by his normal name that I almost forgot to add on his title. I was _so _going to have to watch what I said, especially around Thranduil.

_Oh how amusing it would be to see his face if I came in and asked him "Hey Thrandy, can we go get your swag stag and party through Smirkwood?"…pahaha, I might have to do that! _I laughed silently as the elf woman called Elbeth answered in a cheerful and lilting voice, "We should be there a little while after sunrise, which is a few hours from now." I nodded before asking another question of her. She, seemingly happy to oblige my interest, answered readily. I had to do something, _anything, _to keep the ever-growing tide of fear, sadness, unhappiness and whatever other emotions were swirled into the mix at bay, and talking seemed like the best option just then.

* * *

><p>As soon as he had seen the mortal following him, Arnos had turned and set a steady pace. The kindly mask dropped, revealing a mild scowl that was, to those who knew the elf well, equivalent to him cursing in irritation, confusion or anger. Lainos, who was one of those few, glanced at his friend before speaking. His voice was lowered so that the mortal female would, if she had been listening, be able to discern nothing of his words with her atrocious hearing, but in case she somehow <em>did <em>manage to hear he spoke in his native Silvan.

"What is it, Arnos, that troubles your mind?"

"I do not trust this child," the other elf murmured, his Silvan equally low so as to not be heard by mortal ears. Lainos snorted, stepping lightly over a fallen branch before speaking.

"None of us do, friend, and why should we? She appeared in this forest where before there had been nothing but the creatures of Dol Guldur, though we did not see exactly how she came to be here, and wore a garb so strange that I doubt even the finest elven tailor would be able to identify it. You are right to mistrust her."

"Mmm…she does seem relatively harmless, though – you saw what happened when you had an arrow knocked at her," Arnos said, but Lainos waved a hand.

"I do not think that it was my bow and arrow that caused that outburst," he replied, checking to make sure that said bow was attached securely to his back.

"What makes you say that?"

"My, it seems your observational skills are a little rusty, Arnos. Did you not see the utterly shocked and devastated expression that appeared after a moment observing us, and not my bow? No, I believe it was something other than the weapon I had pointed at her that bought about her tears." Arnos was silent for a moment, eyes tracking to and fro across the landscape that was, though dark, still quite clear to see for him and the other Elves.

"Be that as it may, it tells me that she is an emotional mortal, easily distracted by the smallest of feelings and liable to more outbursts such as that."

"Are not they all?"

"I suppose…" Arnos trailed off. A moments silence hung between the pair like a gossamer cobweb, one that was broken a moment later when the leader of the band of Elves muttered, "I do not think King Thranduil will care at all for her, though."

"Oh, and why is that? Though she, from what little I can understand of Westron, asks too many questions, I can also understand that she asks them in such a polite way that no-one could mistake her for being intrusive," Lainos replied with a smile as Fenna, if that was her true name, asked what appeared to be _another_ question of the indulgent Elbeth.

"Mmmm…did you not hear how she cussed earlier, though? I am sure that, though you did not understand all of the words she used, you were able to get a sense of just how bad they were," Arnos said, shaking his head. He had not realised that such delicate creature could hold a veritable well of curses and the fire to make them ring with an impressive ferocity. One of the hardier of her kin that sailed the lake that Esgaroth sat upon, yes, but not her. Lainos grimaced slightly at the memory as his friend continued. "There is also the feeling I get that, beneath her quiet and slightly deferential appearance, there lies an ire that is like dragon fire when roused from its usual sleep."

"I too have that same feeling, though I do not think her outward appearance would change unless she was greatly provoked. And then there is the matter of her companion, the stallion Aeolus," Lainos mused, and Arnos dipped his head.

"I believe that, should anything bad happen to him, her wrath would be like a wildfire: swift and deadly for all involved."

"She is as protective of him as a mother bird over her young…still, it is nice to see a beautiful creature such as he treated in the way they should be. It makes a pleasant change from how we see the Lake-men treat their horses."

"…They have been companions for a year at least; the trust they have of one another is deeper than a river in highest spring…it is strange, though, for one would expect to have heard of a pairing such as theirs before as they travelled, yet no rumours have reached me through the land of their passing anywhere up until now."

"You read too much into the small details, Arnos," Lainos laughed softly, clasping his friends shoulder affectionately. Arnos smiled – it was very true, what his friend had said – before allowing a comfortable silence to drift between the two of them, one that reached back and, without her knowing what it was, put Fenna slightly more at ease as she spoke quietly with Elbeth of the stars and the creatures of the land.

* * *

><p><em>Next Time...<em>

Chapter 4: Who Not To Name Call

"Welcome to the halls of the Elvenking of Mirkwood," Arnos said, sweeping out an arm to indicate the grandeur that surrounded us. I smiled weakly but was not truly appreciating the majesty of the place, so lost was I in my growing despair. _How am I supposed to get back? Is there even a way to get back!? Oh, I hope there-_

"If you will follow us, Lainos and I will escort you to King Thranduil," Arnos continued, jolting me from my rapidly deteriorating thoughts. Uidor and Iomar, after speaking for a moment with Arnos, turned and departed for places unknown. Perhaps they were heading for the stream I could hear somewhere below us, or perhaps they were going to find something to eat. Either way, I didn't have time to ask them, for as soon as they had begun to depart Lainos placed a hand on the small of my back and chivvied me forwards after Arnos.

"I'm going I'm going, jeez," I muttered, clenching my hands in the fabric of my tunic to prevent myself from chewing on my nails. It wouldn't really do for me to meet someone as important as Thranduil with blood trickling down my fingers, despite that fact that, currently, I was more bothered about finding a way back home that I was about meeting a King.

Our walk to the center of the halls, where Thranduil's iconic throne sat, passed in a blur of worry for me; one that was only broken when I felt a gaze heavy with time's passage come to rest upon me from afar.

Raising my head and looking to where I felt the gaze coming from, I found myself staring at the distant figure of the Elven King. Though he was still too far away for me to make out the details of his finely featured face, I took note of how the silver-grey cloak thing he wore parted either side of his long legs, one of which was hooked nonchalantly over the other. The iron grey of the leggings he wore disappeared into his knee high leather boots, which seemed to shimmer faintly in the sparse sunlight.

A swath of orangey-red material, one that reminded me of the scarves 'ladies' wore over their arms when out and about, caught my eye next. It was draped elegantly over his arms, the right one resting on the end of an arm of his beautifully decorated throne.

Taking a quick note of how the antlers atop said throne jutted proudly into the air, and finding my worst fears slowly being fully confirmed, I dropped my gaze and concentrated on walking. I was _not _going to lock eyes with the Elvenking if he was indeed Thranduil, because I knew that the moment I did I'd draw his attention to me.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: *pokes Thranduil's cheek* Hey, hey Thranduil. Hey Thranduil, you awake?<strong>

**Thranduil: *snoring quietly, with empty glass in hand***

**Me: Wow, you took your time and glasses to go to sleep...I mean, jeez, even people who started drinking at a young age in my world couldn't last for ten glasses of wine _that _strong... alcoholic**

**Thranduil: *opens one eye* I...*hiccup* heard that *goes back to sleep again***

**Me:...Oh I am so putting some photo's of this on facebook :D**

**Thranduil: *opens both eyes this time and tries to stand up* N...*hiccup* *hiccup* No you...won't *can't stand up and is forced to slump back into his chair***

**Me: Oh yes I can, drunkard XD**


	4. Who Not To Name Call

**Thranduil: I am not wearing that.**

**Me: Awww come on Thrandy, pleeeeeaaaasssse *makes puppy eyes whilst holding out a santa hat***

**Me: But even your elk has joined in!**

**Thranduil: No he has- WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!? *notices the giant red nose his elk is wearing, as well as all the tinsel and baubles I hung from his giant antlers***

**Me: I decorated him in the festive spirit! He was quite happy to let me, and he seems to be enjoying it :D *grins as Thranduil's elk tosses his head, sending sparkles and the sound of bells everywhere***

**Thranduil: But...but...*then notices how I've decorated his throne*...**

**Me: Are you actually speechless for once?**

**Thranduil:...GUARDS!**

**Me: Oh hot damn I'm out of here! *leaps on Thranduil's elk, who is more than happy to carry me away from the guards who are trying to catch me* Away my tinseled steed! AWAY! **

**Thranduil:...She just stole my elk...my now ridiculous looking elk...-_-**

**Me: XD *Oh, before I forget, Renji and Bya went back to my Bleach Fanfic, as Thranduil was irritating them too much. They may make a random appearance now and again though***

**Disclaimer: I wish Thranduil and the rest of Middle-earth were mine, but they're not unfortunately :(**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 4: Who Not To Name Call<span>

"Rouse yourself, Fenna, for we have arrived," came a voice, pulling me gently from my half sleep atop the swaying back of Aeolus. I sat up, disoriented for a moment, before once more remembering where I was.

_Oh yeah, I'm in Middle-earth, deep in Mirkwood. What joy I feel, _I thought sarcastically as I stretched and yawned. I couldn't remember falling into the trance-like state between sleep and wakefulness, but I didn't mind – it had kept me from becoming overwhelmed by everything.

Elbeth smiled up at me, gesturing before her. "The gates into the Elvenking's halls," she said in her soft voice. We'd found we had a lot in common through our talks as we journeyed. Turning to look at where she pointed, I couldn't help but stare in wonder.

A thick yet elegant bridge spanned across a merrily rushing river that foamed from the nearby waterfall, whose thunder thrummed against my ears. A faint rainbow could be seen in the spray from the waterfall, which glittered in the late morning sunlight that somehow pierced through the veil of Mirkwood. Emerald green doors, flanked by other, smaller panels of green separated by beautifully carved half pillars, were set deep within the stone of the hill. Two sets of full pillars sat at the end of the bridge and the edge of the piece of rock the entrance to Thranduil's halls, and a pair of guards stood to attention in front of the pillars and the doors.

I tensed, and beneath me Aeolus snorted and quick-stepped for a moment. Arnos, sensing something going on behind him, turned and gave me a reassuring smile before striding confidently forwards and exchanging a rapid burst of what I now knew to be Silvan – thanks to Elbeth's indulgent nature – with one of the guards by the door. I clopped slowly along behind Lainos, who nodded to the pillar guards that wielded what looked to be a halberd-like weapon, my hands wringing nervously at my new tunic. My cautious nature was screaming at me to stay and observe for a while before going in, but before I could ask if I could stay outside for a bit the doors opened silently, and Arnos beckoned me forwards after telling me to dismount.

_Here goes nothing…oh god I wish I wasn't here! _I thought unhappily. Don't get me wrong, it _was _mildly cool being in a world where Elves, dragons and the like were real, but that same world also held more than one thing that could kill me faster than I could blink in thousands of different ways. I just wanted to be back home, safely tucked in bed and looking forward to seeing Aeolus for the show…

My thoughts continued like this as I dismounted, wincing as my muscles protested from the awkward position I'd been in when half sleeping.

"It's gonna be ok, it's gonna be fine, you'll see," I murmured to Aeolus, though I was trying to reassure myself more than anything as the elven four elven guards gave me curious looks when I walked past.

"….Arnos! Arnos, what'll happen to Aeolus?" I suddenly questioned, fear making my voice shake as we entered into the halls of Thranduil. So anxious was I about this detail that I didn't even look around and notice just what a magnificent place we were in at first. The Elf halted, thinking for a moment before speaking quietly to Elbeth. She nodded before stepping to my side and gazing at me with her ancient eyes.

"If you will let me, I will take Aeolus to the stables in another part of the halls…? She trailed off, auburn hair rippling in an unseen wind. I bit my lip, unsure, and would have stood there for who knew how long had the stallion not nudged me in the back and nickered.

"…You behave for Elbeth, ok?" I said in a faintly trembling voice as I hugged Aeolus's head to me. He snorted in a reassuring manor before, much to my surprise and amusement, rubbing his head up and down my chest to rid himself of an apparent itch.

"Hey, you're messing up my clothes!" I sighed, though a smile replaced my worried frown. Aeolus blinked at me, the picture of innocence. Shaking my head, I hugged him once more before forcing myself to step back. "Go with Elbeth, Aeolus, and be good whilst I'm gone," I said firmly. The stallion watched me for a second longer before bobbing his head and turning to the female Elf, who reached out a hand and touched his muzzle lightly.

"Come," she murmured, turning and heading down a gently sloping stone ramp that I'd only just noticed to the side of the entrance. Patting Aeolus on his rump as he walked slowly behind the gliding Elf, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"He will be well cared for, I promise you," came Arnos's soft voice from behind me, and as he did so I saw, out of the corner of my eye, the emerald doors closing behind us. I fought back against the edge of panic that crept into my thoughts that had only grown when my beloved stallion had been escorted from my side.

"Good," I murmured, beginning to turn to look at the Elf but stopping as I truly became aware of just how amazing the halls of the Elvenking were.

Winding bridges carved from stone traced through empty air, thin yet as sturdy looking as the natural pillars of rock that held up the great caves we were in. I had, at first, presumed them to be wood, so tree-like did they look, but the hardness of their surface threw that presumption out of the window.

Natural light filtered softly down from high above, illuminating the innumerable crevices and stairs and pathways that the glowing lamps hung on the rough walls did not reach. Stretching between arches of the caves were decorative carvings that somewhat reminded me of the beautiful Christmas decorations that always adorned the gaps between lampposts back in my home land….home.

I sighed forlornly, the beauty of the caves suddenly seeming dull compared with the familiar views of the Lakes I had in Windemere. Yes, the halls of Thranduil were beyond anything anyone on Earth could have crafted – holding a timeless sheen that drew the eye ever to new and more wonderful things that stretched into the distance – but they weren't _home _to me. They were only home to creatures I had, until last night, believed to be nothing more than figments of many people's wild fantasies.

"Welcome to the halls of the Elvenking of Mirkwood," Arnos said, sweeping out an arm to indicate the grandeur that surrounded us. I smiled weakly but was not truly appreciating the majesty of the place, so lost was I in my growing despair. _How am I supposed to get back? Is there even a way to get back!? Oh, I hope there-_

"If you will follow us, Lainos and I will escort you to King Thranduil," Arnos continued, jolting me from my rapidly deteriorating thoughts. Uidor and Iomar, after speaking for a moment with Arnos, turned and departed for places unknown. Perhaps they were heading for the stream I could hear somewhere below us, or perhaps they were going to find something to eat. Either way, I didn't have time to ask them, for as soon as they had begun to depart Lainos placed a hand on the small of my back and chivvied me forwards after Arnos.

"I'm going I'm going, jeez," I muttered, clenching my hands in the fabric of my tunic to prevent myself from chewing on my nails. It wouldn't really do for me to meet someone as important as Thranduil with blood trickling down my fingers, despite that fact that, currently, I was more bothered about finding a way back home that I was about meeting a King.

Our walk to the center of the halls, where Thranduil's iconic throne sat, passed in a blur of worry for me; one that was only broken when I felt a gaze heavy with time's passage come to rest upon me from afar.

Raising my head and looking to where I felt the gaze coming from, I found myself staring at the distant figure of the Elven King. Though he was still too far away for me to make out the details of his finely featured face, I took note of how the silver-grey cloak thing he wore parted either side of his long legs, one of which was hooked nonchalantly over the other. The iron grey of the leggings he wore disappeared into his knee high leather boots, which seemed to shimmer faintly in the sparse sunlight.

A swath of orangey-red material, one that reminded me of the scarves 'ladies' wore over their arms when out and about, caught my eye next. It was draped elegantly over his arms, the right one resting on the end of an arm of his beautifully decorated throne.

Taking a quick note of how the antlers atop said throne jutted proudly into the air, and finding my worst fears slowly being fully confirmed, I dropped my gaze and concentrated on walking. I was _not _going to lock eyes with the Elvenking if he was indeed Thranduil, because I knew that the moment I did I'd draw his attention to me.

_It seems, though, that I have already done that without even doing anything, _I mused in a shaky voice, for the weighty gaze that could only belong to Thranduil never once wavered from me. My hand twisted at my new tunic as we drew ever closer to the throne. I was trying to stop myself from biting at my nails once more; it was a bad enough habit when I was nervous about something _normal, _like a horse show I was competing in. Who knew how badly I'd damage my nails when faced with the prospect of talking to a figure as powerful and as unforgiving as Thranduil could be?

_Step, step, step…come on don't lose your cool now Fenna, _I thought as we made our way up the steps that led to the dais the throne was on. _I am not going to embarrass myself in front of th-_

"And who is your mortal companion, Arnos, Lainos?" came a wonderfully deep voice that practically hummed with the ages its owner had seen. Unable to help it I glanced up, and found myself rather short of breath at the sight sat on the throne.

A face as fair as the first days of spring and just as timeless captured my full attention, seeming to hold an inner light entirely its own. Two pointed ears peaked out from beneath hair the colour of starlight, which hung like a silken river down to his chest and atop which sat the easily recognisable crown woven through with autumn leaves and colours.

Ornate rings that I had not noticed before wrapped around his long fingers, but their brilliance could not hold a candle to that of the jewels that sat above thin lips and a delicate nose. They were the colour of clear blue ice, those eyes, and just as cold. No emotion could be seen in their wintery depths as they met mine and sent a shiver up my spine. I could almost _feel _the ages they had observed with detached judgement, and it was only a few seconds before I had to break my stare and look at the floor. He was more than striking to look at, but it was a beauty with no trace of warmth.

_Ok this counts as a timewhereIcanchewmynails! _I thought rapidly. My previous resolve disappearing, I began to gnaw at the nails I'd not previously chewed down to where they met the skin. Fear and unhappiness jittered through me as Arnos, switching to what I could guess was Sindarin and not Silvan, began presumably explaining what had happened. I fought for calm, battering down the urge to flee, to hide, to do something to get me away from this unnerving being sat on the throne before me.

After what felt like years spent with me nervously mutilating my hands as Arnos finished his tale and silence hung in the air, Thranduil's commanding voice rang out again.

"Leave us; I wish to speak with her alone."

_Oh god oh god ohgodohgod….keep calm, don't say anything to him about what happens in The Hobbit or The Lord of The Rings, keep calm, _I repeated over and over, my heart rate climbing higher as I sensed rather than heard – they were damned stealthy, Elves – Arnos and Lainos bow before turning and walking away a fair distance before stopping again. I presumed they didn't leave completely in case Thranduil wanted them to escort me somewhere or to take me to th-

"Such fragile, clumsy creatures, humans," the Elvenking mused as he rose fluidly and began descending the stairs leading down from his throne, leaving behind his orange-red scarf thing. I watched, mesmerised by his graceful movements as he reached the floor and started towards me.

"They believe themselves to be stronger than they are, burning and pillaging and wreaking havoc with their perceived power driving them on, but when faced by _true _power, or danger, they flee like blind ants in a rainstorm," he continued as he slowly paced around me, hands folded behind his back as his silver cloak trailed quietly behind him.

"Their bodies crumple at the slightest injury or test of endurance, and their movements, especially when encumbered by their crude weapons, are louder than a waterfall in spring." The deep lilt of his voice washed over me like a lullaby, and so it was that I did not realise Thranduil had paused in before me until he spoke again, voice now right in front of me.

"…Yet here you are, a mere mortal, without a single scratch upon you despite being found deep within this forsaken forest," he murmured softly, bringing my eyes back to him. Thranduil was at least a foot taller than me, forcing me to tilt my neck in order to meet his gaze. He considered me for a moment, head tilting to one side, before continuing both his circling and his speech.

"You have also managed to, in your entry into Mirkwood, somehow evade my forward scouts completely; the group of Elves that found you were ones that do not ever encounter anyone other than animals…alive, that is." His steps were silent, and the only reason I could tell where he was was by the faint sound his cloak made against the floor as it trailed him.

"And to be found with a horse that is still alive-"

"His name is Aeolus, the horse," I interrupted, my nails no longer being chewed – owing to the fact that I'd bitten them all off already. I found myself wishing that I had more of them though when Thranduil stopped and stared down at me with narrowed eyes as soon as the words left my lips. I ducked my head, eyes slipping to the floor as, once more, I couldn't hold the King's gaze. A few more seconds of having the uncomfortable weight of Thranduil's full gaze upon me passed before his pacing resumed and I breathed once more. "And to be found with a horse that is still alive, and that has not been noticed by any of the scouts towards the outer edges of Mirkwood, is unheard of," he continued as I kept my gaze to the floor. _I'm not going to have any fingers left at this rate, _I thought before my attention was once more drawn to Thranduil as he, circling me one last time, stopped in front of me.

"Tell me, mortal, how did you come to evade detection for so long after entering my forest?"

"My name's Fenna, not 'mortal,'" I replied, fear causing me to forget to be polite again. I hated situations like these…though when had I ever been in a position like this?

"I would not speak like that again, lest you want to become familiar with the inside of our prison cells," Thranduil said in a quietly threatening tone, and I swallowed as his icy eyes hardened. I let out a shaky sigh, taking a few moments to gather my thoughts and figure out what exactly I could tell this unfathomable Elf without giving the game away, before slowly beginning my hastily scraped together explanation. The Elvenking of Mirkwood listened silently as I told my story, albeit with a fair few details missing of how I came to be here, trying to convey that I had come from somewhere extremely far away without telling him that I'd actually come from another world where he only existed as a fictional character.

When I was finished, I looked expectantly up at him, crossing my now roughly-nailed fingers behind me. I didn't expect him to believe me, but I held the high hope that he would mull over what I had said for a long while – perhaps even for a few days, which would give me a chance to do some hard thinking myself. However, that was not to be.

"A well told tale, if slightly short…but it is just that; a tale spun of lies to hide the truth from me," he said quietly, watching me with those bright eyes of his. I sighed softly, my earlier anxiety beginning to morph into frustration. This wasn't going well. Reviewing closely once more what I knew and what had happened to me – I was _not _going to be the cause of Sauron somehow getting his hands back on the One Ring and winning the War of The Ring – I decided that there was a little more I could tell Thranduil without saying too much.

Straightening, I then re-explained myself with the added details. Thranduil continued to observe me for a moment before turning his back to me and walking forwards a few steps. I focused on a particularly beautiful ring on his right index finger as I spoke; it resembled several branches of a tree woven together in an intriguing maze of silver. I crossed my own fingers tighter, praying that he would at least think things over for a little longer this time as I finished, but to my growing annoyance he didn't.

"Again, your tale is well told, but those…embellishments you have added to it tell me no more of the truth than your first explanation did."

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me! Can you not believe the truth when you hear it?" I snapped, frustration once more flicking aside my normally good manners. Before Thranduil, who was staring at me over his shoulder with further narrowed eyes and a small frown, could speak, I held up a hand, pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes in what I hoped was the universal gesture of 'give me a second.'

_He's as disbelieving as I am…heck, you know what? I no longer care all that much if I accidentally spoil everything. Thranduil wants the truth? Then I'll give him the truth! _I spat in my mind, my irritation at this distrustful, stick-up-his-backside King growing by the second.

Opening my eyes and taking my fingers from my nose, I crossed my arms, shifted my weight on to one leg and met Thranduil's gaze surprisingly steadily, despite the traces of panic swirling within me.

"You want the complete truth?" I questioned. The Elvenking said nothing, turning his head and slowly beginning to walk from side to side across the space before his throne's steps. Snorting softly – my manners fast completely disappearing – I then spoke up in as controlled a manner as possible.

"Well, as that's the case, then here it is. I come from a world where you – no, this entire _universe_ – are fictional beings and places that only exist in a book by a now deceased author. How I got transported into this fantasy world I have no idea; the last thing I remember happening in that world is me and Aeolus, the stallion, touching strange shadowy figures that somehow appeared in the corner of the arena inside the stables I work at, or did work at until I woke up here." Thranduil had stopped his pacing, and was stock still as I continued.

"When I woke up here, after having a strange dream which I will not mention now, I found Aeolus with me, though I had no idea, and still don't, as to how we'd been transported away from my home town to where we were. Following the path Mirkwood so _handily _has running through it, Aeolus and I avoided falling in the enchanted river, ran away from a creature in the forest that I didn't see but heard enough of to know it was dangerous, and then made camp.

"A while later your band of Elves found us, which was when I realised that I was no longer in my world, and was instead in a world that, up until then, I had believed to exist merely in the books. After that I followed them, changed into these clothes, and then followed them again as we made our way here. You know the rest," I finished, shifting my weight to the other leg as I watched Thranduil closely. His expression was unreadable, his eyes half lidded and his back straight. Finally, when I was beginning to get impatient and was considering just turning and walking away – hello irritable me – he spoke in an ever so slightly disquieted tone.

"You lie," was all he said as he turned his head to gaze dispassionately at me, but those two words served to gather every emotion I had felt over the past day and a bit into one giant ball of anger and frustration.

"I AM _NOT_ LYING, YOU SCEPTICAL IDIOT!" I yelled, seething with rage. My voice rang out across the wide space of the throne room, but I cared not one bit as I spat out in a quieter but no less angry voice, "I am easier to read than a children's book even to my fellow _mortals_, so someone like _you _should be able to see that I am telling the truth with a single glance!And yet you refuse to believe what I am saying, you cold, un-emotional, jerk-faced asshole-!" Thranduil's eyes widened, and before I could so much as blink he was in front of me.

"Do _not _speak to me like that," he hissed softly, a contained fury rippling through his words. He was so close that our noses almost touched and I could see flecks of white and a deeper blue in his angrily flashing eyes.

I was frozen in place, unable to look away from his ancient eyes. My thoughts were a jumble of, _ohgodwhaydidIsaythat? _and, _Damnhe'sevenscarierwhenangry! _

"I will say this once more, and once more only; you are lying to me. And I cannot _stand _liars…" he trailed off, backing away from me and standing up straight even as he continued to hold me still with colder-than-a-glacier gaze. He paused for a moment, head tilting slightly to the side as I tried and failed to keep my earlier anger from turning to fright once more, before lifting his eyes.

"Arnos, Lainos, I want you to take this mortal to the lower dungeons so that she may have some time to realise that it is not wise to lie to me," he called out in his deep voice, and mere moments later I sensed the two Elves who had bought me here coming up behind me.

"Damn it I'm telling the TRUTH!" I cried as I felt their hands clamp around my upper arms, lashing out at them with my legs. They nimbly side-stepped my attempted attacks as Thranduil, eyes still fixed upon me as he slowly stepped back up to his throne, spoke again.

"I can wait for an eternity, mortal, but _you_ cannot, so I suggest you think hard and come up with a tale composed entirely of the truth, lest you wish to die here," he proclaimed as I fought in vain against my captors, battling them as I was turned around and hauled off.

"BASTARD!" I spat over my shoulder, meeting his gaze for the last time with a narrowed eyed one of my own. Arnos, who had been silent until now, murmured, "That language will not help your case, Fenna," but my only response was to send another kick his way, along with a muttered string of curses. The Elf shook his head, his grip firm on my right arm as I was marched down the walkway that led away from Thranduil. _Man I hate this place, even if it is as beautiful to look at as its inhabitants, _I huffed as I deliberately dragged my feet, my earlier feelings about coming here being proved correct. There were probably thousands of fangirls back home who'd have given anything to be in my place, but I wasn't one of their nature, and so it was that when we rounded a corner and almost crashed into a gold haired Elf that I didn't squeal with delight.

"Amin hiraetha, Ernil Legolas," Lainos said with a slight bow as I paused in my struggle to free myself from his and Arnos's grasp, looking closely at the Elf who would, one day, be part of the reason why the Elves and dwarves reconciled their differences. He was so like Thranduil that even if I had not been privy to the information that he was the King's son I would have made the connection anyway. There were, though, some glaring differences. For one his eyes, though as blue as his father's, were warmer and easier to read; his fair face, too, was more open and kinder, and he was shorter than Thranduil.

He waved a hand and stepped aside, allowing us to pass, and I caught a glimpse of a both curious and confused expression as I was pulled closer to where I would, foreseeably, be spending the rest of my days.

* * *

><p>Legolas watched curiously as the mortal dressed in elven clothing was taken away, wincing as a particularly violent curse rang back to him from her. <em>Who in the name of the Valar <em>is_ she? _he questioned as he slowly turned and continued on his way to see his father, hands idly toying with a loose thread of his tunic. It was extremely rare to find any mortals in Mirkwood, let alone in the halls of the Elvenking, and yet there she was, sending echoes of her anger bouncing around the place as she was, Legolas presumed, being taken to the lower dungeons for who knew what.

Resolving to ask his father about it, Legolas picked up his pace, steps silent against the stone walkway that lead to the throne. As he reached the place where his father sat, he slowed for a moment. Nothing, at first glance, seemed amiss from his father's aloof demeanour but Legolas, who knew his father better than most, could see the faintest traces of a frown on his father's lips, and took note of how the fingers of the hand cupping his face tapped out a quiet rhythm.

"Father?" Legolas questioned in Silvan, drawing Thranduil's icy gaze to his son.

"Ahh, Legolas. I trust that the barrels of wine for the feast are now all accounted for?" Still Thranduil's fingers continued to tap against his cheek, and the frown lingered at the edges of the King's now impassive mask.

"Yes. It was just a miscommunication between the guards and the kitchen staff that caused one barrel to go 'missing'…" Legolas trailed off before, straightening, continuing with the question he had decided to ask as soon as he laid eyes on the mortal. "Father, who was that human I passed on my way here?" he asked, still able to hear the echoes of her angry cursing even now. His father's expression became pensive, and though Thranduil was highly skilled in hiding away his emotions Legolas could not help but noticed the slight narrowing of his eyes.

"I do not know," the King admitted, his gaze far away as he then murmured, almost to himself, "And I am not sure that I will ever know."

* * *

><p>I was pushed gently into my cell, finally managing to land a kick on Arnos's leg as he went to close the metal bars that would keep me in.<p>

"Do not be difficult, Fenna," he admonished as I then spun and walked over to the small shelf that, I supposed, would serve as a bed.

"Piss off," I snapped, suddenly completely and utterly tired of being near Elves. _They may look more than nice, but they certainly don't act that pleasant, _I thought as Arnos, seemingly undeterred by my irritation, continued.

"You will be bought meals thrice daily, and will be checked upon each time. I suggest you try and think upon telling King Thranduil th-"

"I said _piss off,_" I growled, lying down on the uncomfortable stone bed with my back to the door to my cell. I heard a sigh, the jangle of keys, and then nothing but the bubbling of a distant stream or river, I couldn't tell. Only when I was sure that I was alone did I allow the tears that had been sheening my eyes to spill.

This wasn't going to be the last time I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Next Time...<em>

Chapter 5: Exchanging Pleasantries

Three days passed before I was visited for anything other than having my meals delivered.

My homesickness had only grown as each night and day passed, and it had been a struggle to keep myself sane in the cramped confines of my cell, with no _human _contact. I spoke to myself just to hear a familiar, if cracked from all the crying I'd done, voice in this quiet place. As Arnos had said, I was given three meals a day which consisted mainly of fruit, vegetables, nuts and other none meat things, and though everything tasted wonderful it was still not the same as my mother's home-cooked shortbread or lasagne.

As for entertainment….there was none. I was allowed no books, paper, pencils, _anything _that would alleviate the boredom that vied for my attention along with my unhappiness.

However, my salvation was near at hand. When it appeared I was sat cross-legged on the stone shelf that had given me a crick in my back, eyes closed and breathing slow as I attempted to meditate away all my emotions.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: *whispering from where I'm hiding in Thranduil's rooms* I've managed to escape Thranduil, who <em>really <em>isn't happy about my decorating skills, but I'm going to have to make this quick. What did you guys think of this chapter? Please let me know by leaving a review, as I've only had 5 so far. Even if it's to just let me know that you like this story, I don't mind. What I sort of _do _mind is people who lurk and read the story without saying anything - you don't have to make an account, just leave an anonymous review on whatever chapter you want, as that'll keep me motivated to write more :) Another thing...THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES COMES OUT THIS FRIDAY OHMYGODI'MSOEXCITED! I'm going to see it sunday, which is going to be AWESOME! Thranduil's parts especially ;) Also...Thranduil can be a real ass sometimes, can't he? I mean, I was just trying to brighten the place...up *notices readers scared expressions that aren't directed at me but at something behind me*...he's behind me isn't he?**

**Thranduil: I am *sounds actually quite annoyed***

**Me:...*spins and tries to flee, but is easily caught and picked up by my shirt collar***

**Thranduil: You are going to go and clean my throne and my elk until they are back to how they should be, and you will not leave until you are finished *glaring***

**Me: Eeep *flails wildly but only succeeds in spinning myself around and around***

**Thranduil: I'm glad you agreed to do as you are told...not that you have much choice in the matter.**

**Me:..Fine, I'll do it...** *mutters quietly*Not that I mind all that much, as I decorated the rest of the halls exactly the same whilst you weren't looking.****

**Thranduil:...You did what?!**

**Me:...XD**


	5. Exchanging Pleasantries

**Me: HAPPY LATE CHRISTMAS AND BOXING DAY EVERYBODY! *Does happy dance around christmas tree I stole from my family, which is about 7 foot* Sorry for not updating on Christmas day, but I was busy with presents (I now have a pocket watch, which is awesome, thanks to the latest AC game) and with stuffing myself with food XD**

**Thranduil: *has been forced by me and Legolas to wear antlers instead of his usual crown* Oh please, you call _that _a Christmas tree? *pulls back curtian behind us to reveal a forty foot tree covered with tinsel, baubles and a diamond in the shape of a star the size of my head on top***

**Me: *O_O* **

**Thranduil: *smug face* I thought so. Now can we please stop this nonsense celebration so that I can go back to sitting on my throne?**

**Me:...Why did you decorate a tree if you were just going to say you wanted to stop celebrating a moment later?**

**Thranduil: Because no-one beats me at anything**

**Me: *mutters to self whilst still staring in awe at Thranduil's admittedly awesome tree* Vain Elf, aren't you?**

**Thranduil: And for that, you can go and take the gem down from the top of the tree, without any safety harness**

**Me: You don't get to order me ab-*stops mid sentence as Thranduil fixes me with _that _stare* F-fine then, I'll go do it *scurries away***

**Thranduil: And she thought she could win that? Foolish mortal XD**

**Disclaimer: Tolkien is the genius who came up with Middle-earth, Thranduil and the like. I'm just playing around in his world**

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><p><span>Chapter 5: Exchanging Pleasantries<span>

Three days passed before I was visited for anything other than having my meals delivered.

My homesickness had only grown as each night and day passed, and it had been a struggle to keep myself sane in the cramped confines of my cell, with no _human _contact. I spoke to myself just to hear a familiar, if cracked from all the crying I'd done, voice in this quiet place. As Arnos had said, I was given three meals a day which consisted mainly of fruit, vegetables, nuts and other none meat things, and though everything tasted wonderful it was still not the same as my mother's home-cooked shortbread or lasagne.

As for entertainment….there was none. I was allowed no books, paper, pencils, _anything _that would alleviate the boredom that vied for my attention along with my unhappiness.

However, my salvation was near at hand. When it appeared I was sat cross-legged on the stone shelf that had given me a crick in my back, eyes closed and breathing slow as I attempted to meditate away all my emotions.

"Your name is Fenna, is it not?" came a melodic voice in English/Westron, interrupting my quiet time. Opening my eyes, I found that, much to my surprise, it was Legolas that had spoken. The Prince was stood outside my cell, arms hanging loosely by his sides and a questioning expression on his youthful features.

"Yes, that is my name. I'm glad to know that you don't share your father's irritating trait of calling me 'mortal'," I replied, before shifting slightly and starting to close my eyes again. However, Legolas spoke again, bringing my gaze back to him.

"Name's should be used, when given," he said with a slight smile. I eyed him curiously – _The hell is he being nice to me for? _ – as he continued. "Anyway, I am here to tell you that your stallion is being somewhat of a nuisance, and no-one can calm him down. My father has agreed to allow you to try, as you did come here with…Aeolus was his name?" I nodded, hiding a smile.

_I'm glad Aeolus is causing grief for the King; saves me a job, _I thought as, aloud, I asked, "Really? Thranduil is allowing me out of this place?"

"Until you can calm Aeolus down, or until I believe that he cannot be pacified, yes," Legolas confirmed as he, stepping aside, gestured for the guard beside him to unlock my cell.

Slipping from the stone shelf, I waited impatiently for my prison to be unlocked, eager to be away. I didn't care if Thranduil was the only reason I was allowed out of here at that moment; seeing Aeolus would more than make up for any irritation I felt at being completely under his control.

I stretched luxuriously as soon as I was out of the confined space I had been in for the past three days, taking a deep breath of un-cramped air and finding my low spirits lifting further as natural light brushed my skin.

"So, where're the stables then, Prince Legolas?" I questioned, glancing up at the blue-eyed Elf. He'd been nice enough to me so far, so it was only right that I addressed him with a certain level of respect. However, just like with anyone who irritated or otherwise did something bad to me, I'd drop the formal terms in favour of more…colourful ones if he gave me cause to.

"Follow me," Legolas said with a smile, waving away the guard as he made to follow before starting forwards with soundless steps. I trotted after him, eyes drawn to the one long knife attached to his back in a white sheath – there had been two in the movies, but it seemed I was in a mixture of the book-verse and the movie-verse. I wondered where his iconic longbow was, then realised that there, really, was no need for it in the halls of Thranduil.

Catching up with his longer strides, I asked, "Why did jerk face – I mean _Thranduil _– send you instead of one of the normal guards."

"I will not pretend to know how my father's mind works," Legolas said, smiling down at me as we made steady progress upwards and way from the dungeons I had come to hate. I snorted, muttering, "Who but he knows how his mind works?" as I examined my surroundings eagerly. I'd missed out on my chance to look around when I'd first been bought here, so now that I had another chance I wasn't going to waste it, especially not when I actually had a nice companion beside me. Well, he _seemed _nice, anyway.

_And we all know how it turned out the last time I thought one of the Elves was nice, and reserved judgement on him, _I thought derisively as I gazed up to where the morning light pierced through the hall's ceilings. It really was an old place, this cluster of caves, yet all the more interesting for it. It was an endless maze of adventure, scattered with eye-catching carvings and snake-like walkways that could lead anywhere.

About ten minutes had passed – albeit with me stopping frequently at particularly beautiful views to admire them – before we passed through a corridor and came out on to a walkway high above a rather unusual space.

"Your stallion is down there," Legolas said as I gaped at the place below me. Much like everywhere else in the halls, stone walkways stretched beside us – or overhead if you were on the ground below – but instead of empty space or a stony floor below us, there was what appeared to be a great open field, covered with emerald grass and stretching out for a good half mile in all directions, with small boulders and trees decorating it. A number of horses of all colours were dotted everywhere, grazing, rolling around or simply resting their nimble forms.

One end of the field had a line of woven fencing across it, and I could see other horses being exercised and put through their paces. It was such a familiar sight, despite that the Elves sat bareback and without bridles on the horses, that my heart ached with melancholy. I pushed it back, glancing to the opposite end of the space, where rows of stables sat there all had the doors open to allow the horses free roam of the field. All except one, that was, and from that one I could vaguely hear the occasional thuds and whinnies of displeasure.

Forgetting that I was supposed to be a prisoner and under the care of Legolas at that moment, I scampered down a set of stairs at the edge of the rocky shelf we were on, calling out, "Aeolus you monkey, I told you to behave!" as I did so.

Several Elves who were grooming or feeding their horses eyed me curiously, but I ignored them as, running over the springy grass until I reached the stables, I skidded to a stop before the partially closed stable Aeolus was in.

"Aeolus, c'mere boy…wow, you've really done a number on this place, huh?" I said with a laugh as I saw the various holes and dents in the walls. A glance at these holes, however, was all I managed to get, because Aeolus shoved his head over the door and whinnied in delight right next to my ear.

"Shush, shush!" I exclaimed, rubbing my ear with one hand whilst I unlocked the stable door with the other. The moment it was open Aeolus barged his way out and butted his head into my chest. I laughed, hugging him tightly and scratching behind his ears as he nickered and snorted, happiness radiating from him. We stood there for a moment – the only adjustment made when Aeolus lifted his head and hooked it over my shoulder, hugging me in his own fashion.

"It seems that all he wanted to do was see you," came Legolas's harmonious voice from behind me. I jumped slightly – damn it Elves were so quiet! – before glancing back at the Prince.

"Perhaps," I replied with a smile as I hugged Aeolus's neck tightly, my homesickness abating vastly from this simple contact with the stallion from my world. We stood there for a few more seconds, drinking in each other's company, before Aeolus shifted forwards slightly. I stepped aside, though keeping a hand on the stallions shoulder as he stepped towards Legolas, extending his neck and sniffing cautiously at the Elf. The Prince held out a hand, a smile of delight spreading across his lips as Aeolus nudged at his hand and allowed him to run it down his muzzle.

"I can see what Arnos meant when he said that this horse is fond of you," Legolas commented as Aeolus then turned his head and snuffled at the place where the pocket of my jodhpurs usually was. I smiled, some of my happiness returning to me now that I was once again in the company of Aeolus, patting the stallions side and only then realising that he was covered in straw and dust.

"Look at you: you're filthy!" I sighed as I ran my fingers through Aeolus's mane and found them caught by tangles almost straight away. The stallion nickered, flicking his hay filled tail at me. Shaking my head, I glanced back to Legolas.

"Do you…do you think it would be alright if I gave Aeolus clean?" I questioned, hoping against hope that Legolas would be more lenient than his father. The small act of brushing down the stallion would, I knew, sooth my worries away somewhat, and would keep my spirits up during my stay here, which looked to be never ending at the moment. Legolas frowned slightly, thinking for a moment, before smiling and nodding.

Clapping my hands with glee, I grabbed several brushes I spotted lying around, returned to Aeolus and immediately set about bringing his coat to a show-worthy lustre. As soon as I bought the brush to Aeolus's body I felt myself relax into the familiar rhythm, my thoughts settling into a peaceful background hum.

Quiet stretched between the Elf and I – I was far away, back in my world brushing Aeolus rather than in Middle-Earth in the middle of Mirkwood standing next to an Elf – but after a moment Legolas asked a question of me. I found myself happily answering, not at all unwilling to talk with him. Perhaps it was because he was far kinder than the other Elves I'd been in contact with – excluding Arnos and Elbeth, who I _thought _were reasonable people – or perhaps it was because a sense of normalcy had been returned to me; either way, it didn't take long before we were discussing all sorts of subjects that varied from horses to stories. I found out that Legolas was quite the horse lover, and was even treated to the sight of a pretty white mare trotting over to him at his gentle whistle, sniffing delicately at Aeolus before nudging the Elf affectionately and turning away.

I had just begun working at Aeolus's forelock, untangling some particularly nasty knots, when I heard a familiar, unwelcome voice sound behind Legolas and I.

"I see that you have managed to calm him down, human" it said, and jolting from my serene trance of happiness I spun and found myself staring up into the cold eyes of Thranduil. Today he had forgone the long silver garment of three days ago, and was instead wearing a deep brown cloak that came to just above the floor and was no less impressive. His crown was in place, as was the impassive mask I'd managed to somehow crack last time we'd come into contact.

"And I see that you're still not using my name, _Elf, _though 'human' is a step up from 'mortal'," I replied before turning my back to him and continuing on with my grooming of Aeolus, who was watching Thranduil as impassively as the King was watching me; I could feel his weighty gaze now that I had been taken from my happy place by his unwanted intrusion.

Thranduil sighed ever so softly before speaking again. "I find your impudence greatly annoying…however, though I think many would benefit from you being taught some manners, that is not why I am here to speak to you about."

"Oh, I am _so _sorry that feel that way; whatever shall I do?" I questioned sarcastically, finishing with Aeolus's forelock and turning to face the Elvenking. My irritation with him had still not diminished, and standing next to a stallion that had his head over my shoulder in a protective manor gave me the courage needed hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds.

Thranduil's eyes narrowed, their piercing blue flashing, but he restrained himself and merely said, "Hold your tongue whilst I speak."

_Fine. It's not like you're intimidating me or anything. Definitely not, _I thought with the faintest tremor, crossing my arms as the King, satisfied that I wouldn't sass him, spoke.

"What I am here to ask you is this; have you decided to tell me the truth, or will you continue to stick to your tale of lies?" he questioned, the lilt of his deep voice as entrancing as last time. I laughed, shaking my head in amusement. So he hadn't believed the truth even after he'd had three days to mull things over. Typical.

"The truth? I have already told you the truth, Elf, but as we both know you don't believe me. So just go run along and do whatever it is that you Kings' do, and leave me alone," I replied with a snort, though my heart was jumping in my chest like a jackhammer. Only people who'd _really _pissed me off got the sarcastic treatment, and even then it always sent a rush of frightened adrenaline through me.

However, where Legolas's face was one of open shock, Thranduil's merely tightened slightly.

"…I was prepared to allow you to leave your cell, but I can see that some more time both spent considering if it is wise to lie to me and cooling your temper would be beneficial," was all he said before turning and, much to my irritation, completely ignoring me as he spoke a swift song of Silvan or Sindarin – I wasn't well versed enough to differentiate between the two – to his son.

Throwing one last look at me with those ancient eyes, he then started away from us, leaving me smouldering with frustration once more.

* * *

><p><em>Next Time...<em>

Chapter 6: Change of Heart

_Clink thump…Clink thump, _went the small pebble as I threw it against the opposite wall, catching it as it bounced back. I was, as usual, in my cell, though two weeks spent in this universe had tempered my homesickness into complete and utter boredom. The only thing I looked forward to now was my daily visit to the 'bathing chamber' as I called it, and my visit to see Aeolus with Legolas or one of the guards; a privilege Thranduil had, surprisingly, allowed me to keep. Aeolus had put forwards a very good case, kicking at his stable again when I didn't appear for two days after my first visit and just generally making a hassle of himself, clever horse that he was.

_Clink thump…Clink thump…Clink thump. _I sighed. I'd already had my visit for today, so I was stuck in this cell for another day and night, and boy was it tedious just sitting and throwing the pebble against the wall. If this prison was stereotypical of every prison everywhere, I was glad I'd never done anything to get myself arrested at home…_home._

* * *

><p><strong>Me: *from a great height* Thranduil damn it, help me down from here!<strong>

**Thranduil *staring up at where I am stuck at the top of his tree, clinging on for dear life* I do not think you need any help there.**

**Me: You know damn well I do, you ass! *shakes fist down at him before yelling as I'm almost blown off***

**Thranduil: I cannot hear you over the sound of your rudeness *begins to walk away***

**Me: OK OK, I'M SORRY! JUST GET ME DOWN PLEASE!**

**Thranduil: Much better...though I'm still not going to, as I find it rather funny to see you so helpless. Think of this as a punishment for inflicting yourself upon me yesterday.**

**Me: IT WAS CHRISTMAS AND THERE WAS MISTLETOE GOD FREAKING DAMN IT!...*to self* though I really don't regret is, as hot damn was it good XD **


	6. Change of Heart

**Me: I'm gonna make this short and sweet, as I don;t want to keep you from your Christmas present (these two chapters in one day) and also because me and Legolas put a Christmas jumper on Thranduil whilst he was asleep, and he's probably going to-**

**Thranduil: *seriously pissed off voice* DEVICORN, COME HERE _NOW!_**

**Me: *snickers* -Do that :D A'ight, I gotta go before Thranduil catches me! *scurries off to hide with Legolas* XD**

**Disclaimer: Do you guys not understand that Middle-earth and the characters Tolkien created are not mine?**

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Change of Heart<span>

…Why, I wonder, was she bought here so early? The one she is meant to stop is nowhere to be found in this world, and we do not know when he or she will appear, only that they will, _a male voice, filled with thousands of ghostly echoes, asked. The feathered male voice from before responded, sure and strong in its conviction._

Perhaps to prepare her for whatever is to come. Physically and mentally she is not strong enough yet, nor has she gained the trust of any allies that she will have need of, but I do not doubt that she will grow into her potential with the time … has given her.

* * *

><p><em>Clink thump…Clink thump, <em>went the small pebble as I threw it against the opposite wall, catching it as it bounced back. I was, as usual, in my cell, though two weeks spent in this universe had tempered my homesickness into complete and utter boredom. The only thing I looked forward to now was my daily visit to the 'bathing chamber' as I called it, and my visit to see Aeolus with Legolas or one of the guards; a privilege Thranduil had, surprisingly, allowed me to keep. Aeolus had put forwards a very good case, kicking at his stable again when I didn't appear for two days after my first visit and just generally making a hassle of himself, clever horse that he was.

_Clink thump…Clink thump…Clink thump. _I sighed. I'd already had my visit for today, so I was stuck in this cell for another day and night, and boy was it tedious just sitting and throwing the pebble against the wall. If this prison was stereotypical of every prison everywhere, I was glad I'd never done anything to get myself arrested at home…_home._

_Clink thump…Clink thump…Clink clink clink__clink__clink_, went the stone as I miss timed my catch and watched forlornly as it skittered across the floor and out of my cell.

_My only source of entertainment, gone, _I groaned, flopping back down on to my stone bed in annoyance. Running through mental scales on my violin was fine, but not having the real thing resting under my chin became too depressing after a while. The stories I made up were also all well and good to run through, but eventually I grew sick and tired of just lying around thinking of things that could never be. Or could they…considering the fact that I'd somehow been bought to Middle-earth from earth. I shook my head, pushing away thoughts of home. It did not do to dwell on the unreachable…_Ahh but I wish I could go home, _I sighed, going completely against my own advice as I cross my arms over my chest, one leg hooked over the other. _I wonder what my parents-no, no I must not think of these things. I need to stay in the present and not look back at the past, unless I want to spend forever trapped here in this beautiful place._

Forcefully turning myself away from thoughts of going home, I instead mulled over my latest dream involving the strange voices. I had, by now, figured out that the 'she' they always talked about was in fact myself, though I had no idea who 'they' were and why a nameless person had bought me here.

_What do they mean that the one I'm supposed to stop is not even in this world yet? _I questioned to no-one in particular. _How the hell am I supposed to stop this person if I have no idea who they are? As the voices said, I'm not even strong enough to deal with them…bah, this just gets more and more complex the more I think about it._

Snorting in frustration and shifting slightly, I continued down the same line of thought. _And as for allies, when the hell am I going to have a chance to make any when I'm stuck in this cell for the rest of my days. I mean, sure, Legolas appears to be a friend of sorts to me, along with Elbeth, and Arnos and the others _possibly _could be considered acquaintances, but other than that I'm on my own. Thranduil certainly isn't going to be my ally any time soon after what I've said…oh. _I blinked, suddenly realising that I'd done exactly what the company of dwarves would do when they arrived here. I'd insulted Thranduil completely, calling him all sorts of names both in and out of his hearing. Granted, he'd deserved it the first time we'd met, sort of, but I hadn't actually _needed _to continue to offend him the few times I'd seen him since them.

_Ahh, wow I've been such an ass, even if Thranduil's been a bit of one as well, _I thought with a grimace. If I acted like that towards everyone who annoyed me here, most of whom would probably be more powerful and trained than I, then I'd just end up excluded from everything, or worse, dead.

_I guess I'm gonna have to apologize the next time I see him…oh but he'll probably go looking all smug as soon as the words leave my lips; he's the kind of person…Elf who_ always_ gets what he wants in the end. _I sighed, closing my eyes and resolving to speak with the King at the earliest opportunity. I hoped it wasn't too late to make amends for what irritable me had done and said.

* * *

><p>The opportunity to apologise for my actions and words came sooner than I thought it would. Not a day after making my decision a guard came and informed me that I was to be allowed out of my cell for <em>Mereth Nuin Giliath, <em>the 'Feast Under Stars' that happened around this time of year. The guard – whose name was Calel, which meant 'Light' in Sindarin – then escorted me to a familiar room where a bathtub and clean clothes were laid out already for me. Steam curled from the surface of the water, and like always I shivered expectantly at the thought of submerging myself in the warm waters. It wasn't quite the same as having a bath back home, where you could soak for hours and simply add in more hot water when it got cold, but it was as close as I was going to get, and frankly I was grateful for whatever niceties I could get here.

Making sure that Calel had firmly closed the door behind him, I then stripped from my clothes and gingerly tested the water with a toe. It was perfect, so I quickly hopped in, sighing as I lay back in the luxuriously warm water.

Minutes passed in which I simply lay there, eyes closed and chestnut hair floating around me. However, one single thought niggled at the back of my mind, not departing until I had given in and acknowledged its presence.

_Why me? Why was _I _bought to Middle-earth, and not someone else, someone like Kathleen? _Kathleen Simmonds was a girl from Mistgrove stables that I worked with, and she was _the _biggest Tolkien nerd ever. She knew things about The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings that even I had no clue as to their origin, and would take every opportunity to tell me about those facts. She'd have been in her element here, where I was more than a little like a fish out of water despite my knowledge of Middle-earth.

_Then again, though, Kathleen would have more than likely glomped Thranduil, Legolas, and every other Elf the instant she saw them. And lord knows what she'd have been like when she met Bilbo, or Thorin, or Fili…or any of the thirteen dwarves for that matter, _I snickered, the thought of Thranduil getting glomped by a rabid fangirl exceedingly amusing. He would have been _so _confused.

Grinning at the images conjured up by these thoughts, I dunked myself completely under the water before surfacing and using the soaps sat on the edge of the bathtub to scrub at my skin.

I stewed in the bathtub for a lot longer than was strictly necessary, ruminating in the cooling waters, before finally hauling myself from the simple tub and grabbing the towel that had been set aside for me. As I dried myself I examined the garments laid out for me and discovered that they were slightly gaudier than the ones I normally wore, with decoratively embroidered trees twining over the tunic. They even felt of a higher quality as I slipped them on.

Turning, I examined myself in the mirror and found myself smiling at how strange I looked in the new clothing. It was so strange, wearing clothes that I knew had been made completely by hand and not fully or partially crafted with the aid of machines. My dad would have called it 'quaint,' though I doubted that he'd have been able to speak if he saw where I was now.

A faint pang of melancholy stirring inside me, I sighed and set about brushing out my hair with the comb provided on the small vanity I sat down in front of.

_I wonder if I can do that nice plait mum did for me when I went to the leaver's ball? _I mused, reaching up and gathering several strands of hair into my hands. However, as it turned out, I didn't need to, as at that moment there came a knock at my door, and a voice called out, "Fenna, are you done?" in whatever the language it was that I could understand.

"Yeah," I called back, smiling over my shoulder as Elbeth opened the door and stepped into the room. I'd seen her several times when I'd been on my way to the stables/field, and she and I had, surprisingly, become good friends in the short amount of time I'd been stuck in Middle-earth. She seemed to have a strange fascination with humans, and, just as I asked questions of her, asked numerous questions about what it was like to be mortal, though none were asked in an offensive way.

"What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course," I ended as she raised an eyebrow.

"I am to be the guard assigned to you during the feast, as the King doesn't want any…disruptions." I laughed softly – a laugh that turned into an irritated huff when my attempt at the complex plait failed. Elbeth, instantly seeing what I was doing and what my problem was, came over and offered, "Would you like me to do that?"

"…I was just going to go with it down, but sure, if you want to," I replied, and Elbeth immediately began picking up strands of my ebony locks and weaving them together with her graceful fingers. In no time at all she had ringed my head with several tiny plaits, leaving the rest of my hair to fall down my back.

"I have a younger sister who cannot do her own hair yet," she said with a smile as I stood and sent her a questioning glance.

"Ahhh. She is very lucky," I said, returning her smile as we then started towards the door.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters back at your home?" Elbeth questioned, and my smile faltered.

"…Two brothers, both younger than me," I murmured after a moment, sadness crashing down over me as it always did when anyone mentioned anything that bought back memories of home. The elleth, seeing my sudden unhappiness, apologised. I waved a hand, smiling faintly even though I didn't feel like it.

Outside the room I found another familiar face waiting for the two of us. Arnos.

"I hear you are still using language unbecoming of a lady," he said as a way of greeting, hints of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. I stared up at him, unsure of whether he was being nice or actually meant the insult – you could never tell what Elves were thinking unless they decided to tell or show you. After a moment I chose to brush away the caution sounding in my head.

"Pff, I'm no lady. Never have been, and will never want to be," I said, pushing away my longing for home in favour of a smile. Arnos shook his head before motioning for me to follow him towards the distant sounds of the feast.

"As I can tell," the Elf replied with a dry smile as we made our silent – well, not so silent in my case – way over numerous walkways leading every which way. We were headed in the general direction of Thranduil's throne room, though when we entered it we turned immediately right down a long hallway I'd not noticed before.

"Why has Thranduil allowed me out my cell for this?" I questioned as we neared the end of the corridor and made to turn down another on the left. Elbeth and Arnos both shrugged, unable to answer as a wave of melody poured down the second corridor to us. Sindarin and Silvan alike were being spoken by all Elves gathered in the great cave we entered into, which hummed with happy energy, and I could just hear the sweet song of a violin, something that caused my fingers to twitch in recognition. The tables of food and goblets of wine, no doubt, helped with the merry atmosphere.

Small silver lights, like stars themselves, decorated the walls and ceilings of the great hall, and small gold threads wove patterns between them that I could barely follow but found interesting all the same.

The giant cave where the feast was taking place reminded me somewhat of one of the great roman amphitheatres, with the centre of the room sitting lower than the rings of small, step-like levels surrounding it. Columns, much like those that flanked the entrance to the halls, supported an overhang of rock that ran almost all the way around the sides of the space, under which sat the tables of food and glittering glasses of deep red wine, along with the violinist I had heard a moment ago. I did not recognise the melody but found myself humming the notes all the same. _I miss being able to play, _I thought before turning once more to observe my surroundings

Small gaps in the ceiling allowed glimpses of the stars that were being celebrated to be seen in all their silvery brilliance, a sliver of moon peeking through one of the smaller gaps as well.

An innumerable amount of Elves milled about in a large crowd, drifting down a side corridor that, presumably, led to another feast hall. It was mainly adults, but I could also see several elven children darting between the older Elves legs, their laughter like a bubbling stream to my ears.

"Wow," I breathed as I took it all in, my longing for my home world momentarily forgotten. Elbeth grinned and, taking my arm as if she'd known me for far longer than two weeks, led me over to one of the archways made by the columns where there was, surprisingly, space to stand or to sit on an artfully decorated stone bench. I gained several looks, both curious and suspicious, as the three of us made ourselves comfortable, but I ignored them.

"This is amazing," I said as I gazed around, drinking in the sights and sounds eagerly as Elbeth settled beside me. Arnos smiled, choosing to remain standing beside me.

"Mereth Nuin Giliath is one of our favourite feasts of the year, so we always tend to put in the extra effort to make it special," he said as I espied Legolas talking with a group of young Elves and elleths to one side, gesturing emphatically as he spoke.

"…I've always wanted to take part in something like this," I murmured, stifling a laugh as a particularly tipsy Elf slung an arm about another and sloppily raised a glass to something he said. If you looked past their grace – even when drunk, it seemed the elven kind kept some of their natural elegance – beauty, unnervingly bright eyes, pointed ears and extreme perceptiveness, they could, for all intents and purposes, be normal people enjoying a night out, or in this cas-

"Nana, Ada, Melanor!" Elbeth cried all of a sudden, standing and dancing over to a trio of an Elf and two Elf-maidens who were approaching her. They smiled, enfolding her in their arms.

_Her kind demeanour when she first met me was, it seems, completely sincere, _I thought with a smile as she picked her younger sister up and swung her around in a small circle, setting the two of them giggling and grinning.

Turning to Arnos to ask him about his own family, I was surprised to see that he had disappeared. Searching around, I finally spotted him not too far away, standing with an Elf woman who had long ebony hair like mine and deep brown eyes that gazed happily into his. He had, it seemed, decided to forgo my company in favour of his, presumably, sweetheart.

I smiled before finding my attention bought back to Elbeth and her family as she tugged them towards me, switching to Westron – I had given up calling it English now – as she drew nearer.

"Mother, father, Melanor, this is Fenna, the one I have told you about. Fenna, this is my father, Elrandir, my mother, Morel, and my sister Melanor," she said, and I stood, smiling in a slightly nervous manner as they scrutinised me. Slowly their cautious stances relaxed.

"You do not look like you would be one to cause much trouble," Elbeth's mother eventually said with a kind smile that instantly put me at ease. She was so like Elbeth in appearance that the only way I could tell them apart was by their eyes: hers were a pale green where her daughters were a deeper emerald.

"Normally I'm not," I replied with a smile of my own, stifling a laugh when Elrandir said, "Nor do you, dear, and yet you still manage to wherever you go." He had locks of a deep gold which framed brilliant blue eyes that shone like sapphires, both traits of which he had passed down to his younger daughter, who was watching me with wide eyes. She looked about six or seven, but one could never tell with Elves. Look at Thranduil for instance; he looked – on the very surface, anyway – to be in his late twenties, and yet was over five thousand years old.

"It is nice to meet you, Fenna," Elrandir continued, bowing his head slightly.

"Yes, it is. Elbeth-" Morel started to say, but Melanor cut her off.

"You are a human," the child cut in, "…but I thought that only our kin lived in King Thranduil's halls." Her mother and sister sighed, with Elbeth quietly murmuring to me, "She is an inquisitive child."

"Yes, melamin, that is true. However, Fenna is a prisoner of King Thranduil's, and so is being kept here," Morel answered. This, however, did not satisfy Melanor's curious nature.

"What is she a prisoner for?" she questioned, taking a hold of her father's hand and tugging on his fingers. This time Elrandir joined in with the next round of sighs, but before anyone could answer her I crouched down before the young elleth.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked, unconsciously slipping into how I used to act around my brothers, who were twelve and ten to my nineteen years of age. Melanor's eyes widened, but – as it was with me – curiosity won over her caution and she eventually nodded. Smiling, I beckoned her closer.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone," I said, lowering my voice and luring her still closer. I could almost see the tips of her pointed ears twitching as she caught my words and nodded slowly again.

"I will not, I promise," she said just as softly, and I knew that I now had her full attention. Shifting forwards so that I could murmur into her ear, I said, "I was thrown in the cells because I called King Thranduil some particularly unflattering names in a rather loud voice," in a conspiratorial whisper before leaning back onto my haunches. I knew that the other three Elves around me would have heard, but I didn't mind.

Melanor's mouth dropped open, bright eyes growing wider still, before she giggled. I smiled as her glittering laugh washed over me before holding a finger to my lips. Melanor hastily stifled her amusement, though I could see the grin pulling up dimples onto her pale cheeks.

Standing up, I found her parents and sister smiling as well. "I have two younger brothers who are just as inquisitive as she," I said by way of answer to their unspoken question, pushing back the sadness that pulled at me at the mention of anything to do with my own world. _I must enjoy the present, despite it being completely opposite to what I ever wanted it to be, _I told myself as Melanor's voice, still dancing with mirth, sounded again.

"Will you ever get out?"

"I hope so," I said after a moment's pause. _If I have any say in things I should be able to make some headway towards that goal tonight._

"When you do, can I show you around the halls? And would you be able to teach me how to read and write in Westron? Ada and Nana haven't started that yet, but I really want to learn to use it for things other than speaking. Could you?" Melanor asked, apparently deciding that I was to be included amongst her friends all of a sudden.

"Of course, of course," I replied, quite taken aback by how Melanor had apparently decided to include me amongst her friends all of a sudden. As Elbeth sighed amusedly, however, my mind snapped back up to speed and realised that this could provide me with the perfect opportunity. Looking down at Melanor once more, I spoke.

"In exchange for me teaching you to read and write in Westron, _if _I get out of prison, would you be willing to teach me to speak, read and write in Silvan?" I asked, causing Melanor's grin to widen joyfully.

"That would be wonderful fun!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands with glee as she jumped around, seeming to dance on air so light were her steps. "I would love to! You must come and tell me or Elbeth when you are free so we can start straight away! Oh, I must go and tell Thurindor of this!" So saying, she then scamper off, dragging her indulgent father with her, though it was in far more graceful a way than I or my brothers, or any human really, had ever done.

Laughing softly, her mother made to follow them before stopping and turning to me. "I sincerely hope that you are able to negotiate yourself out of prison, Fenna. You are a kind soul; one that does not belong in a cell," she said with a smile that sent a bright spark of warmth through me, before once more turning and weaving elegantly after her husband and youngest daughter.

"You have gained a friend for life there, Fenna," Elbeth smiled as I sat myself down on the bench again. "Melanor is one who treasures her friendships as much as she treasures family."

"She is a lovely friend to have, if she remembers me that is."

"Oh, I am sure she will. She does not easily forget those who make her promises," Elbeth grinned, though her eyes trailed after her parents. Sensing that she wished to go and join in with the merry making, and feeling in a much better mood that I had been before, I tapped her arm.

"If you want to go with them, go for it." Elbeth glanced at me as I, standing, made my way to one of the food tables and began gathering food to a simple wooden plate. She was frowning slightly.

"But it is my duty for the night to keep watch on you…" she trailed off, faint longing in her voice despite her words. She was, I believed, one of the only Elves to really show her true emotions.

"I won't cause any mischief, I promise. I'm enjoying myself too much to want to ruin it," I replied, sitting back down. When she hesitated still, I sighed.

"Go on," I said, making shooing motions with my hand before plucking a plump cherry from the plate and popping it into my mouth. Elbeth paused, the only person aside form myself not moving or talking, before deciding. Giving me a grateful smile, she then made sure to extract a firm promise from me that I would not do anything to disrupt the feast before happily slipping into the crowd after her parents and sister.

I watched her disappear, and it was only after she had completely merged with the crowd that I realised that I had somehow slipped into treating her as if she were family rather than an Elf I had known for just over two weeks, if that; a testament to how much I was truly missing home. Even conversing with her family had immediately soothed my homesickness that still lingered at the edges of my mind. Now that I had realised this though, and now that I was alone in a sea of creatures that shouldn't even exist, a great hollow opened up inside of me, threatening to swallow me whole. It had appeared before during my so far short stay here in Middle-earth, but now it was growing ever larger.

I swallowed back a sudden swell of tears, shaking my head and blinking to clear my vision. _Just enjoy the night, _I whispered to myself. _Don't think about home, think about the here and now and worry about your world and how you'll get back later._

Finally managing to, somewhat, quell my unhappiness, I continued eating, thoughts beginning to drift on a tide of soothing Sindarin and Silvan voices accompanied by the gentle song of the violin.

* * *

><p>A while later found me sitting on a bench nearer the violinist; an Elf with hair of a lustrous deep copper and eyes of darkest grey. He played merry tunes that lifted my heart from the depths of the gloom I had sunk into, adding to the atmosphere of happiness that filled the great feast hall. It was getting late, and most of the younger Elves had been escorted from the hall by watchful parents.<p>

I was, for obvious reasons, enjoying watching the elven folk trailing about the hall. Their movements were both languid as a swaying snake yet as blink-and-you'll-miss-it as a humming birds wings. Even after downing two cups of what I guessed to be wine several noticeable times stronger than the strongest wine from my world they were somewhat steady on their feet, though some more than others.

_Now where is he? _I questioned as I scanned the crowd, lingering on Elbeth and her mother with a smile. Elrandir had gone to take Melanor to bed, or so I presumed.

I was looking for one Elf in particular, and as I swept my gaze over the throng a second time I spotted him standing slightly taller than the rest of his people, especially with his autumn crown. He was slipping through them as if they weren't there, the air of superiority about him palpable even from here.

Thranduil paused alongside some older looking Elves – the only way I could tell that they were older was because of how they held themselves – and exchanged several words with them before moving on, nodding to some others as he passed through the gathering as a panther through the jungle.

Watching closely as he came to the edge of the Elves nearest me, I then softly called out, "King Thranduil." It was quiet, almost lost in the wash of Sindarin and Silvan, but the ever observant King heard it none the less. His gaze coming to lock heavily with mine, he glided towards me unhurriedly, stopping a little way from me. A fluted crystal glass of crimson wine was cupped in his pale left hand.

"Ahh, my stubborn prisoner. How are you finding Mereth Nuin Giliath?" he said in his deep, melodic voice.

"It is quite unlike anything I have ever seen," I admitted, looking over the crowd before my gaze inevitably returned to the arresting figure before me. "…Why did you allow me to be here?"

"Though I do not like liars, and will not tolerate being insulted, I am not one to let my more harmless prisoners fade away from boredom," Thranduil answered, and I thought I saw the faintest hint of amusement in his unnervingly bright eyes; the only feature of his face that seemed capable of giving away any emotion at the moment. _Someone must have told him that I'd resorted to singing of my tedium…well, I _say _singing, but everyone knows that the sounds I produce are as far from singing as Earth is from the centre of the universe, _I thought with a slight grin, before realising that he'd just called me harmless. I chose to ignore that jab, however, as I had a job to do.

"Thank you…however, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Thranduil was silent, which I took as an indication to go on. Taking a breath and fighting not to shift under his unwavering stare, I continued. "What I wanted to say is this…I'm sorry for my behaviour when we first met and during all the subsequent times I found myself in your company. I shouldn't have spoken to you how I did – though admittedly you did kinda deserve it the first time – and I regret causing any offense to you when you were only trying to discern if I was a threat or not," I finished, stopping myself from biting my nails as I waited for the Elvenking's verdict. Silence stretched between us.

"My, what a difference two weeks can make. Who is it that has been teaching you manners?" Thranduil eventually questioned, arching a single dark eyebrow and instantly making me jealous. _Man, I _wish _I could do that! Or at least have eyebrows half as fantastic as his!_

"Oh, I've had manners all this time. I just chose not to use them when you were around," I replied with a mischievous grin before, swiftly making another decision, speaking again.

"Speaking of manners," I murmured, holding out my right hand as I stood – I only just came up to his upper chest – and made myself keep eye contact with him, "I never got to introduce myself the first time we met. Fenna Hughard of Windemere, at your service."

Thranduil glanced down at my hand, seemingly taken slightly aback at my sudden change of attitude. After a moment, though, he reached out and clasped my hand in his cooler one. "Thranduil Greenleaf, Elvenking of Northern Mirkwood," he reciprocated, voice losing some of the hard edge I hadn't realised it had previously held. I smiled smugly, knowing that though the words had gone unspoken Thranduil had, by shaking my hand, silently agreed to gloss over our previous meetings and give things another go.

When I went to pull away, though, Thranduil's hand tightened around mine, and I found myself being held captive by his gentle but firm grip and his diamond bright eyes.

"Will you now tell me the truth as to how you came to be in Mirkwood?" he questioned after a moment, the sounds of the feast fading slightly at the edges as we stood there.

I, slightly breathless all of a sudden, frowned before answering. "Though it was said in such a manner as to easily be disbelieved, the last explanation I gave you was, in fact, the complete truth. Whether you choose to believe me now or not is up to you, King Thranduil."

Again, there was silence between the two of us. Thranduil kept his gaze on mine, an indecipherable look flitting through his eyes before disappearing. Another moment passed, before Thranduil withdrew his hand from around mine and turned as if to make his way back into the crowd, allowing the sounds around us to pop the bubble that had surrounded us. However, he stopped just before doing so and, inclining his head slightly to me, he murmured, "Enjoy the rest of your evening," before continuing into the sea of his subjects, leaving me quite surprised but more than a little pleased. _Perhaps there _is_ some hope of me getting out of my cell, after all._

* * *

><p>I had thought that that would be the last of Thranduil I would see for a while, that I would be taken back to my cell after the feast to await the next day of my imprisonment. As it turned out, though, I was wrong on both counts.<p>

As groups of cheerful Elves began to trickle from the great hall at around two in the morning, if my internal clock was anything to go by – I'd always been a bit of a stop up, even on school and work nights –, I was pulled from my music-induced trance by the sound of the King's voice to my right.

"Pardon?" I questioned, blinking a few times as I turned to look up at Thranduil. He had lost, or drunk, the glass of wine, and now had his hands clasped lightly behind his back, as was, it seemed, customary for him.

"I said that I wish for you to come with me," he repeated, impassive mask in place. The immature side of me immediately took his words the wrong way, but I had had years to perfect the art of supressing the giggles that accompanied my rude thoughts, so only the faintest of smirks made it through as I asked, "Where to?"

Thranduil ignored my question; he merely turned and began making his way to the corridor I had entered through. I sighed, shaking my head as I stood and trotted after his fast disappearing figure. _He certainly runs to his own agenda, that's for sure._

Passing by some small groups of Elves but not stopping to greet them as they did Thranduil, the King then turned in completely the opposite direction to the way I had come from the prison cells.

"Wait, why are you not taking me back to the dungeons?" I questioned, frowning in confusion at the goose-grey-cloaked Elf. Again, though, he said nothing as we continued over walkways and through stone hallways as large across as a horse-drawn carriage – these were on the lower levels of Thranduil's halls. I sighed, some of my irritation towards the King returning. I suppressed it though as we twisted our way higher up through the halls, thinking that perhaps it was just in his nature to be silent unless asked a question he deemed worth of answering. That, or he could just be deep in thought. Or an asshole.

Eventually, after wandering down a deeply buried corridor with several large and ornate doors in it for some time, we then turned into another that had a greater number of plainer doors along either side. It looked to go on forever, though there had to be an end to it somewhere.

Thranduil padded along its length for a few moments, pausing minutely before each door before continuing. After another few pauses he stopped so suddenly and completely before one that I almost ran into his ramrod straight back. _Could you not? _I wanted to say, but as I had decided to be nice to the King I kept it confined to my thoughts alone.

Thranduil stepped to the side and turned his gaze to me. "These will be your new living quarters," he said simply, flicking a long hand towards the closed door. Frowning up at him questioningly, I then reached out and twisted the doorknob which, I now saw in the pale lights that adorned the walls, had little leaves engraved on it.

_Why have I been moved here? _I thought as I cautiously stepped into the softly lit room, taking in the surprisingly wide space with suspicion. A large double bed, whose wooden headboard had been carved into innumerable vines, sat in the center of the opposite wall, a small end table sat beside it and holding a smaller version of the lights on the ceilings.

I took another wary step into the room, taking note of the soft rugs that carpeted the floor, eagle footed wooden wardrobe on the left wall next to a full bodied mirror in an ornate silver frame, and the small, empty bookshelf positioned on the left side of another wooden door set in the cool grey stone of the wall.

"You will stay here as my guest until such time as you decide you wish to return to your home," came Thranduil's soft voice from over my shoulder. I jumped and glanced up at him, having forgotten he was there. Looking back into the room – _My room now, _I supposed – I sighed quietly.

"I've been wanting to go back home since the day I realised where I was," I murmured quietly, only just managing to stifle the sudden pang of homesickness that assaulted me.

Shaking my head and supressing another sigh, I took another step into my new room.

"Thank you, though. I think I'd have begun to go mad if I'd stayed in that cell any longer," I said sincerely, smiling. A slight rise of one eyebrow was Thranduil's unvoiced response as he said, "The lights will come on when you want them to, in the number you wish them to, and will come on when necessary,"

_I wonder how that works? _I mused as Thranduil stepped back.

"Goodnight Fenna," he said in the pleasantly lilting voice of his before, with little more than a whisper of clothing, disappearing from my view.

Only later, as I was about to drift into a both sad yet happy sleep – progress from my previously tear soaked nights – did I realise that Thranduil had used my name for the first time. It had sounded like a song all of its own.

* * *

><p><em>Next Time...<em>

Chapter 7: When Life Gives You Lemons…

Morning found me putting my hair up into a messy plait after a lovely long soak in my new bath which, along with everything else a good bathroom needed, had been hidden behind the door I'd seen last night. It was a beautifully decorated bathroom, with leaves and birds and vines swirled about the edges of the mirror, and the smooth stone bath seeming to grow out of the floor – it certainly looked that way from the root-like extensions at its base.

Another thing that I'd smiled delightedly at was the fact that, rather than having to go and fetch my bath water from somewhere else – not that I'd have minded, as I was so used to carrying buckets of food and heavy hay nets for the horses back home –, two small pumps hung their heads over the edge of the bath, much like the modern taps I was so used to. I still had to do the leg work, or arm work in this case, to fill the tub, but it was something familiar in a strange world that comforted me immensely.

Finishing my plait and lazily slinging it over one shoulder, I stood and decided to go and see if I could find something to eat – mini-fridges, or anything resembling a fridge, didn't exist I Middle-earth unfortunately. As I passed by the wardrobe I felt myself grinning. I'd discovered, much to my utter joy, that the clothes I'd been wearing when I'd somehow been transported to Middle-earth had been returned to me, none the worse for the examinations they must have undergone. Even my comfortable riding boots, which I'd decided not to wear as they didn't really go with the soft leggings I was wearing, were as they had been, though minus most of the dirt and hay that had adorned them.

_Perhaps they have some form of dining hall? _I mused as I stretched until my spine popped pleasurably, still smiling at the fact I had my clothes back. I certainly hoped so, or my stomach was going to force me to go on an eating rampage through the kitchens, wherever they were.

* * *

><p><strong>Me: *hiding with Legolas behind Thranduil's Elk* Have a happy Christmaswhatever you celebrate, and have a fantastic New Year!**

**Legolas: May your year be filled with sunlight, and may the leaves of your tree remain ever green-**

**Thranduil: _THERE YOU ARE, YOU LITTLE PESTS! *_trying to look angry, even with his nose painted red like rudolphs***

**Me: *running after Legolas* See you guys soon! I hope... XD**


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